Pick Up Line
by SingoftheLionandLamb
Summary: "Hello, I'm Edward Cullen and I would shake your hand, but that sign over there says not to touch the masterpieces." Edward is the charming CEO of his family's successful company and a very eligible bachelor...except he's not really looking for love. But when he gets dared to pick up a feisty Bella Swan in an art museum, it worked out better than he could have ever imagined. AH.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, I'm back with a new story to entertain you. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight at all; I just play puppet with the characters.**

* * *

**EPOV**

"Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?"

"Too overused."

"That shirt is very becoming on you. Of course if I were on you, I'd be coming, too."

I scratched down some notes in the company's planner. "Too creepy."

"Your lips look lonely. Would they like to meet mine?"

I looked up and grimaced. "Really, Emmett? Too cheesy."

He threw his hands up in the air. "Well, sorry! But, you've rejected every line I send at you. You're so picky about these damn pick up lines," he accused.

Leaning back in my office chair, I said, "I'm 26, single, and a co-CEO of a successful company, does it look like I have time to think about pick up lines?"

Emmett slammed his fist down on my desk, shaking the picture frames of my family. "Exactly, my dear brother! You're 26 and still single. It's about time we change that."

"Is the part about being a CEO not important enough?" I asked, exasperated. He was always barging into my office and distracting me with his ideas, which seemed to get increasingly stupid. I was trying to remember if there was a family gathering today, but Emmett kept rambling on.

"If being with Rosalie has taught me anything, it's that women are _very_ important. And never underestimate the food cravings of a pregnant woman." Rosalie was blonde, tall, and his wife of two years. She was almost nine months pregnant with their first child. The baby girl could be coming any day now.

_Oh yeah, there is a gathering today._I remember her making sure I'd make it to this one since I missed the last one for a business trip.

Picking up the phone, I dialed my assistant. "Hello, Angela? Please cancel my 6:00 meeting tonight and move it to tomorrow."

"But Mr. Cullen, you have a meeting with the executive board before that and a project to work on right after. You'll be running all over the place."

I thought about it for a second. "It's fine, I'll manage."

"Got it."

After I hung up, Emmett looked at me, concerned. "Bro, you're straining yourself way too much. It's the goddamn weekend. Enjoy it!"

"Emmett, I'm not like you. I'm more responsible and can refrain from having sex."

"Dude, you don't understand! You have a bunch of paper work to keep your lonely self busy. But I've been cut off since we found out she's pregnant!"

Used to Emmett's jokes about my non-existent love life, I sighed and looked down at the planner, scanning the next day for any upcoming meetings. My father, Carlisle, retired and left Emmett and I in charge of the family company. Although Emmett was useful to have around with the construction projects, I couldn't handle all the work myself, so we asked a good friend of ours, Jasper Hale, to help out. He introduced us to his sister, Rosalie, and that's how Emmett and she got started. They've been attached ever since.

"Speaking of pregnancy, here's another one you can try! Do you know what I like in a person? My dick," he said proudly.

Just then Jasper walked into my office and said, "Emmett, should I be concerned since you are supposedly straight, married, and about to have a child?"

"Our boy, Edward, here lost a bet and in return, I came up with a wicked dare for him."

"What's the verdict?" Jasper asked.

"He needs to pick up a girl using a line of my choice!" I rolled my eyes as he said this. It was a typical Emmett dare; always trying to get me a girlfriend.

Jasper laughed. "Oh man. I don't know how you got my sister to marry you, but I know for damn straight that it wasn't because of pick up lines. Maybe you should let Edward come up with one and we can pick the girl he uses it on."

"Dude! That's even better!" Emmett gave him a high-five.

"And I thought you were gonna be on my side," I told Jasper and closed my eyes. The last few weeks have been crazy and stressful with incoming orders, new projects, and accounting errors, so I don't have time for some ridiculous dare.

"Sorry, but this is a perfect excuse to go to the art museum that opened a few days ago."

"Um, how?"

"First of all, we can appreciate the arts and get inspired for more construction designs-"

Emmett faked coughed. "Ahem-boring!"

Jasper shot him a glare that said not to interrupt again. "And second, girls love art and it's a high-class museum, so in your words, there's gonna be a bunch of rich hot girls."

"It's settled. We are going to the museum now," Emmett said as he pushed my paperwork to the side.

Annoyed, I straighten them back into place. "Why does it even matter if they're rich?" I asked, noting the expensively custom-made business suits we all were wearing. "We have plenty of money ourselves."

"It doesn't matter, but I really want to go the museum so stop complaining and get off your ass so we can go now!" Jasper demanded, impatient. He has always been into these classical and historical things, so I figured I might as well comply since he's done so much for the company.

"Fine, fine," I surrendered, "but we can't go now. It's not closing time yet."

Emmett whipped his phone out and typed quickly. "Already taken care of, Eddie. The secretaries got it covered."

"God, how many times do I have to tell you to not call me that?!"

"Plenty enough. You've been overworking, so it's time to relieve some of that tension."

* * *

After an hour of discussing how to incorporate the museum's impressive art into future construction designs, Emmett said, "Okay, it's time to do what we came here for. Jasper, spot any good chicks?"

"None really stands out to me. They're all dressed the same too."

He was right. Visiting a museum like this was only leisure for the higher class. Most of the women were wandering about in jewelry, gowns, and gloves.

Although we didn't look out of place, I felt uncomfortable here. I don't usually attend events like unless it was for business matters. Despite the profits and recognition we get from the business, the three of us acted more like your dorky average guys.

Emmett peeked around the corner, then made some awful dying bird noise that was probably his signal. "Guys, over here! I found the perfect one."

Jasper and I peeked behind him to see a girl observing a marble sculpture of two people intertwined in a kiss.

"She certainly has good taste in art. That sculpture is called "The Kiss" by French artist, Auguste Rodin. It's a classic," Jasper approved.

_Hmmm.._.her appearance did not struck me as the romantic type.

Her long brown hair was in a high ponytail and her back was facing us. She was wearing a black hoodie that said "Bella" and the number "5" below it. She must be an athlete and as I peered closer, I saw that she was wearing some faded jeans and worn out sneakers. In fact, everything she had on seemed worn out.

This girl-_Bella_-was the complete opposite of the other women here.

"I wonder what she's doing in a place like this..." I thought aloud.

"It's doesn't matter why she's here, but we choose her!" Emmett proclaimed.

"I have a feeling something interesting will come out of this," Jasper agreed.

I ran my hand through my disarrayed hair. "Alright, so I just come up with a random pick up line?"

"Not random. But something that'll actually get her to go out with you," Jasper answered.

"Put those pretty boy looks and Cullen charm to good use! Go get her, tiger!" Emmett added and pushed me in her direction.

I chuckled and loosened my tie as I approach her. Though Emmett was an idiot sometimes, he definitely made life more exciting.

Bella still had her back to me and I wondered what she looked like. To be honest, I was more than confident that I could get her to go out with me. Although I didn't consider myself narcissistic, I knew that I wasn't ugly. In fact, I thought myself to be more attractive than the average guy. The only reason I was sure of this was because women threw themselves at me all the time. Whether it be for my looks or wealth or both.

_Okay, let's get this over with._

"Hello, excuse me, miss?"

She jumped slightly before turning around, confusion etched across her face.

My breathing hitched for a second. To say I was shocked is an understatement. I was completely taken back by her.

Oh fuck.

She was unbelievably beautiful.

Even with old casual clothes on in this museum full of expensively dressed girls, Bella was by far the most astounding. There was something about her petite figure, huge brown eyes, long dark lashes, and pink plump lips that rendered me speechless. She looked like the epitome of innocence.

We stared at each other for a moment before she cocked her head and said, "Can I help you?"

I whacked my brain for something clever to say. Looking at the museum sign behind her, inspiration struck.

"Hello, I'm Edward Cullen and I would shake your hand but that sign over there says not to touch the masterpieces."

I tried to say it as smooth as I could, but after seeing how beautiful she looked, my confidence went down a few notches.

Bella's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. But then she saw something behind me and said, "Crap."

Her gorgeous face twisted into a grimace and that was definitely not the reaction I was expecting. Or hoping for.

Before I could ask her what's wrong, Bella grabbed the lapels of my jacket, pulled me down to her, and kissed me the life of out me. _Wait, what?!_ I looked at her in bewilderment, thinking this had to be my imagination or some prank, but her eyes were closed and she didn't stop. For some reason, I didn't want her to stop, so I snapped out of my shock and kissed her back.

She pressed me back against the wall and continued to move her mouth quickly against mine. She rested her hands on my shoulders and I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist, bringing her closer. Her soft lips faintly tasted like chocolate.

I heard Emmett hissed loudly, "What the flipping fuck?"

Jasper responded, "See, I told you something interesting will come from this."

They didn't stop us and I knew I had to but it surprisingly felt so damn good. The girls I've been with before never made me feel as alive as I did now with this stranger.

Shit, that's right. She was a complete stranger. I knew nothing about her except for her first name. And we were making out in a museum.

Right when I thought this, she pulled back to catch her breath and she looked as alarmed as I felt.

Bella looked around and slowly backed away. "I..um..I'm sorry, I have to go!"

Before I could stop her, she ran off and almost tripped as she turned a corner.

"Wait!" I called after her, hating myself for not grabbing her earlier. She quickly disappeared into the crowd of people, frowning at her with disapproval.

Jasper and Emmett came up to me, looking at the direction she ran off.

"That must've been one hell of a pick up line, Edward," Emmett praised me. "But, I might have to go pluck my eyes out now because I did not want to see my brother making out."

"Well now you know how I feel about you and Rosalie! But no, she saw something or _someone_ behind me that made her do that..." I trailed off, still in a daze from her lips.

"We need to find her then," Jasper said, determined. "I'm kind of curious."

"Then, it's settled!" Emmett confirmed. "Operation 'Find Edward's Hot Kiss' is now underway. Team, split up!"

He made a fake gun with his hand and scoped out the area like a spy before rolling behind another display.

Jasper looked at me and shrugged. "Might as well play along," he said.

* * *

Half an hour later, I met Emmett back at the sculpture where I had encountered Bella.

"I can't find her anywhere, man."

"No luck here either."

"How hard is it to lose track of someone like _that_ in a place like _this_?" He wondered.

I wasn't so sure myself, but I know that I won't forget her face. She looked better than all the girls here with their designer clothes. Actually no, she looked better than any girl I have ever met. I couldn't imagine how she would look if she actually dressed to impress.

I rubbed my neck, frustrated. I had to see her again. I needed to figure out what was going on. _And maybe ask her for another kiss _my less noble side added.

Suddenly, Emmett grabbed my arm. "No fucking way. It looks like Jasper's got a chick too. On your left."

Sure enough, there was Jasper talking to a girl, leading her our way. She was wearing Bella's hoodie, but she definitely was not Bella. She was abnormally shorter in stature and had short spiky black hair. With her poofy sparkly skirt and sparkly jewelry, she almost resembled a fairy.

Jasper waved at us. "Guys, I found someone who can help us find Bella. This is Alice."

She let out a low whistle while scrutinizing us. "Wow, Bella just attracts all types of guys, doesn't she? Maybe I should stop forcing her to dress better."

"I saw Alice wearing a hoodie from afar and she was walking away so I had to sprint across the room and nearly tackled her," Jasper said sheepishly. "Again, sorry about that."

She smiled up at him. "It's no big deal. I'm use to spontaneous things, but it's a good thing I wasn't Bella. She would've given you a few good punches in the face."

"Really?" The three of us asked in unison.

"Yup. She use to take boxing lessons."

"Do you know where I can find her?" I asked, grateful for some background information, but still wanted to find her first.

"She's in the Starbucks across the street." Alice stared suspiciously at me. "As a matter of fact, she was in a frenzied hurry. What did you do to her?"

I raised my hands up in defense. "Nothing! Honestly, I just need to sort some things out."

"Alright then. Follow me!" Alice announced, her skirt twirling around in an elegant manner.

"So, I guess we won't be touring the rest of the exhibit?" Jasper asked, a little dejected.

"No worries! Once we find her, I'd be more than happy to check it out with you," Alice assured him.

"I'd really love that, miss," he said, his rare Southern hospitality coming out.

While they were walking in front of us, Emmett whispered to me, "There has to be some lovey dovey gas in this museum air."

"It was just a random kiss, Emmett. It probably doesn't mean anything."

But a part of me didn't want to believe that.

* * *

Once we were in the shop, I spotted Bella immediately, hidden away in the corner and skimming some popular book about vampires.

Strands of hair were covering her face and she looked up when she heard us approach. Her face flushed when her brown eyes met my green ones, so she looked quickly back down again.

"Hey Bella," Alice said as she grabbed the drink on the table. "What did you do to make these hot guys search for you?"

She avoided my gaze and didn't answer, so I bluntly said, "She kissed me."

Alice sprayed her drink all over Emmett. "You did what?!" She yelled, looking between Bella and I.

Jasper and I tried to contain our laughs as Emmett looked at his ruined suit. "Excuse me, pixie stick, you just spat all over me!"

"Sorry! I'll make you a new suit." She turned back to Bella. "When exactly did you plan on telling me that you were hooking up with someone behind my back?"

"Ugh, okay Alice, it's not like that. I saw Mike with that snotty rich girl and I couldn't let him see me alone in my ratty clothes." Bella clenched her fists tightly as she said this. Her innocent and shy demeanor had vanished.

At the mention the guy's name, Alice let out a scoff. "That douche isn't worth your anger, Bella."

"Um, who's Mike?" I asked, not quite sure I wanted to know the answer.

"My ex-boyfriend."

* * *

**Reviews are always welcomed and treasured. c:**

**Also, check out my other E/B stories if you're interested.**

**-Alexis**


	2. Chapter 2

**BPOV**

There was moment of silence while everyone tried the process what I just said. Suddenly, the two guys that I didn't recognize burst out laughing.

"Oh my god, this is way too good! There goes your pride, Edward!" The big guy with curly brown hair said, laughing in between his words.

So Edward was his name. I couldn't look directly at him since what I did earlier was so impulsive and embarrassing, he probably never wants to see me again. I wasn't the type of girl to randomly kiss strangers, but seeing Mike pushed me over the edge. Not to mention that Edward had the face of a god. When I first saw him, I couldn't believe my eyes. Plus, his clothes were a huge bonus. I always liked a guy who could pull off a suit.

Edward rubbed his neck as he stared at the floor. "So, what you're saying is that you kissed me because you saw your ex?"

Not sure where he was going with this, I nodded.

The blonde one said, "Guess you're not as great as you thought you were with the ladies." Then he shook my hand. "Hello Bella, I'm Jasper Hale and you are officially the first person to hurt his ego."

"I've never felt more used in my entire life," Edward mumbled.

"Yeah, um about that...I don't usually do things like that. Sorry."

But in all honestly, it was a damn good kiss and I'm glad it was him because I have never met anyone as attractive as him and god, what's up with that amazing hair? It looked like he just rolled out of bed...

The buff guy pushed Edward out of the way and bowed in front of me. "The name's Emmett Cullen, milady. Pleased to be acquainted with you."

I laughed and curtsied. "Bella. It's a pleasure to meet you, good sire."

"So, I have to make sure...you didn't kiss him because of his pick up line?"

"Wait, what pick up line? Bella, why don't you ever tell me anything anymore?!" Alice complained.

"Oh sorry, I had bigger problems like seeing my asshole of an ex and kissing a total stranger in public!"

I crossed my arms and said to Edward, "But yeah, what was up with that lame line?"

"Excuse me? Lame? Please, that was pure genius!"

"I could've done better than that."

"As if. Any girl would've kissed me if I said that to them, without the help of ex-boyfriends."

His cockiness was starting to annoy me. I turned to grimace at him and immediately regretted it. His jawline was perfect, his tie was hanging loosely at his neck, one hand was in the pocket of his expensive-looking business suit and one was trying to fix his sexy bed hair. _No Bella! It is not sexy at all_.

"Well, any girl with _good_ taste would've just ignored you. You can't expect to easily win over a girl like that."

"It wasn't even my idea! Emmett dared me to do it!"

Emmett huffed, "Well, thanks for ratting me out, you tattle teller."

Edward just stared at him. "Emmett, you're a 28 year old man. This is not kindergarten!"

"It was a dare? That only makes things worse! Women are not toys that you can pick up and play around with," I said, poking Edward in the chest as I emphasized each word. He kept his mouth shut, but the corners of his mouth were lifted up in a suppressed smile.

"Treating women horribly is no smiling matter!" I knew I was being too bitter, but I just recently got dumped by the most horrible guy ever for the most stupidest reason and I was in no mood to be kind towards arrogant jerks.

"Bella, you're being such a hypocrite. After all, you were the one that randomly kissed a stranger for your own selfish purposes."

Damn. He got me there. Speechless, I just glared at him.

He smirked. "Cat got your tongue?"

I rolled up my sleeve, ready to punch. "Okay, you know what? I'm gonna fucking-"

I was cut off by Jasper, who put an arm around Edward and I, bringing us closer together. "Awww, look at you guys getting along so nicely. As a matter of fact, the Cullens are have a little get-together tonight, would you and Alice like to come?"

"Wait, what? Jasper, are you insane? She was this close to murdering me!" Edward protested. If Jasper hadn't stopped us, I probably would've.

"And there's no way I'm going to meet his pompous rich family!" I added, struggling to get out of his grasp and away from Edward.

Edward glared at me. "You've known me for about an hour and you're already stereotyping me? I thought you'd be better than that."

Alice pulled me away and hissed, "Hey, how about you stop fighting and ruining my chances with Jasper?"

"Alice," I whispered back, "you've just met the guy!"

"Says the girl who just made out with a random stranger," she retorted. I was never going to live that down. I definitely should've thought about the consequences before doing that.

She continued, "Look, I know you're not too fond of Edward, but this might be fate. I kind of like Jasper so far and I wanna get to know him better. So, please Bella, can we please come over?" She dragged out the 'please' and gave me her puppy eyes. After some internal battling, I surrendered. Alice has always been there for me and I could at least suffer through one evening.

"All right, fine."

Alice clapped her hands and gave me a quick hug before getting the directions from Jasper.

"This is going to be so fun!" She squealed.

Emmett and Edward were off to the side in their own discussion, so I took this time to study Edward. He was good looking and he knew it. A guy like him must have a girlfriend...but the more I thought about it, he didn't seem to mind the kiss at all, so maybe he was single. As if he heard my thoughts, he looked in my direction and caught me staring at him.

He smiled and winked.

Holy shit, that was kind of hot.

_Wait, Bella, don't think like that. Do not fall into his trap._

I sat back down at the table in the corner and tried to focus on the novel, but from my peripheral vision, I could see Edward glancing over. I frowned as I tried to organize my thoughts. It was just a kiss that meant nothing and now I'm going over to his house.

Tonight was going to be anything but fun.

* * *

I was doing my boxing routine in my room when a pile of clothes went flying at my head. I turned to see Alice standing in the doorway, looking frantic.

"Alice, what is all of this?"

"A fashion disaster, that's what it is! We're leaving for dinner soon and I have nothing to wear!"

"The outfit you wore earlier was pretty cute. I'm sure that'd work." I honestly didn't know why she was freaking out. No matter where we went, Alice always managed to steal the spotlight and look better than me.

"Are you insane, Bella? I've already worn that once today and most importantly, Jasper has already seen this outfit, so I need to impress him with a better one!"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure Jasper likes you for your personality, not your clothes."

She sat down on the edge of my bed. "Yeah, I know. But so far, everything is going great with him. He's handsome and funny and really nerdy, but like the cute nerdy...and I just really like him and want to be my best for him. I haven't been with a guy in so long so this is all exciting for me."

I smiled and patted her back. "Just be yourself, but if it makes you feel better, I'll help you pick out something. As long as I get to wear what I want."

Alice mentally debated this for a moment and said, "Okay fine. But only because we're so limited on time. But next time, I'm gonna make you all pretty for Edward!"

"What do you mean 'for Edward'? I have nothing to do with that guy."

Alice give a knowing smile as she began to sort through the pile of clothes. "Call me a psychic or whatever, but my hunches are never wrong."

I folded my arms. "Oh really? What about that one time in high school where you told me to wear my lucky bra but then it snapped during gym class and I was utterly humiliated? Or that one time you told me to take night medicine during the day and I passed out in the backyard and got sunburned? Or that one-"

"Okay okay, I get it! I meant that I was psychic about relationship things."

"You are taking one kiss way too extreme," I told her as she held a little black dress up in front of the mirror.

Alice stayed silent as she examined her reflection, then finally said, "I don't think it was random, I think it was fate. Besides, I met Jasper because of that kiss."

I was tempted to remind her that she's known him for less than six hours, but with Alice, anything was possible.

* * *

After answering hundreds of questions on this outfit and that, Alice decided on leather high-waist shorts, an embellished blouse, and cream-colored tights with some sparkles. She looked stylish like always. Me, however, opted for comfortable jeans and a red plaid button up. Alice slipped on some silver heels and frowned at me as I put on a red ball cap.

"What? Hats are great for bad hair days!"

She clenched her fists and murmured, "Next time...next time you will not leave the house looking like a hobo!"

We finally arrived at the Cullens' house, though mansion would be a better term. It was actually what anyone would expect big shot entrepreneurs to live in, except it was in the middle of an open green forest. Long shady trees stood around the house, practically camouflaging it and a path of stones and lights led up to the front of the house. The house itself was massive and white, with three stories, balconies, and huge glass windows that gave a sneak peek of the interior.

Above the door, there was a circular window that showed off a diamond chandelier on the inside.

"These people sure know how to live."

Alice smoothed out her blouse before she rang the doorbell. "So, I did some research on the Cullens and their company and these people are a pretty big deal. They do huge construction projects, which explains their house. I hope they aren't snobby and stuck up like the media says."

The door swung open and a stunning tall blonde stood in the doorway. She had flowing curly hair with piercing blue eyes that resembled Jasper, so she must be his sister. Wearing skinny jeans over her long legs and ruby high heels, I wouldn't be surprised if she was a model. I could make out a huge baby bump under the floral apron she was wearing.

She cocked her head to the side, her silver earrings dangling along. "Oh, you must be the notorious Alice and the supposedly good kisser, Bella!"

"We're notorious?" Alice asked.

I grimaced at her last words. "I am going to kill those guys."

She laughed and said, "I'm Rosalie Cullen. Wife of that idiot, Emmett, and sister to the masterminds, Edward and Jasper."

"Babe!" Emmett called from inside. "I heard that! Without me, Cullen Constructions would be-"

Suddenly, an unfamiliar male voice called out, "Wait! You forgot-"

In that same moment, I heard a whirling noise and a loud splat followed by shrieks and a string of profanities.

"To put on the lid," the male voice finished, sounding amused and perplexed.

Rosalie face palmed. "This is why you're the idiot of the family, Emmett!"

She gestured for us to follow her inside through the hallway and as expected, the inside was just as grand as the outside. It seemed like the place was coated in snow. Flawless white was everywhere: the walls, couches, and carpet. There were also antiques placed on the walls and display cabinets. I concluded that some of this stuff had to be hundreds of years old and costly. In the corner of the room, I spotted a sleek black grand piano. I wonder who was the musician.

Rosalie quickly led us to the kitchen and it was like the living room. It was huge and appeared to have a lot of expensive things. However, what was different is that it was covered in pink smoothie. It was splattered everywhere and dripped onto the tile floors. Three of out five people in the room I recognized to be Emmett, Jasper, and Edward. So the other man and woman must be the parents, but I couldn't really make out their appearances through the gunk.

"Well, it's certainly lucky that I went to answer the door," Rosalie said, tapping her feet and glaring at Emmett.

He laughed nervously. "I may have forgotten the lid..." He stuck his tongue out and tried to lick his pink face. "Hey, this is actually pretty good!"

The woman looked at Alice and I. "Carlisle, dear, our guests have arrived..."

Carlisle made his way to us, careful not to slip. Up closer, I could see that he had blonde hair and green eyes. I realized that Edward's eyes was exactly the same shade of green.

"I'm Carlisle Cullen, their father, and I'm terribly sorry about the mess. If you've met Emmett before, you'd know he certainly a special one."

"I'm Alice and this is Bella. And it's okay, we don't mind the mess. I'm pretty much the 'Emmett' of my family."

Carlisle laughed, already charmed by Alice. "You look more responsible and less likely to cause disasters."

"I'm sorry, dad! I'll clean it up lighting fast! I'll recruit Edward and Jasper to help out!"

Jasper shook his head. "Nuh uh. No way. We're done solving your problems. And now if you'll excuse me, I have to rinse strawberry smoothie off my body."

Alice grabbed his arm, completely ignoring how messy he is and said, "I'd be glad to help you clean up."

I sighed as she can be so forward and inappropriate at times, but he only smiled and led her out of the room. "I'd really love that, miss."

I mentally willed her to come back and not leave me with a bunch of strangers. _Thanks a lot, best friend._

Rosalie was still glaring at Emmett and motioned for his to come over. "Come on, time for a nice bath," she said, words sharp and short.

"I have a feeling that it's not going to be a nice bath."

"That feeling is right. Now hurry up so we can serve our guests!"

"Pregnancy's made you harsher, Rose."

Ignoring this, Rosalie marched over to drag him away by the ear and I laughed. She seems like the only one who can keep him in place.

Once they left, the other woman, a brunette, grabbed a towel to wipe her hands and then she came towards me to shake my hand. "And I take it that you are Bella. I'm Esme, the mother hen of this wolf pack. " She smiled and her eyes gleamed. Even though she was messy, I could tell how beautiful she was.

"Things probably don't get too boring around here then," I commented. "Do you need an extra hand with cleaning the kitchen?"

Esme waved it off. "Not really, dear. We'll see how much Emmett attempts to clean before we call in a cleaning service to take care of it."

I frowned. "That's such a waste of money. I can clean it up in an hour for free."

"You're our guest of honor, so we were not going to let you be cleaning," Carlisle assured me.

"Mom, dad," Edward spoke up and I jumped slightly. It was the first time he spoke since I arrived. "You guys can go shower. I'll take care of it."

"Alright, son, thank you. And Bella, I'm really sorry about the delay," Carlisle apologized again.

"No worries. Take your time."

They left and then it was just Edward and I. He walked over to the sink to wash his face and then he looked up.

"Bella."

"Edward."

"It's good to see you again."

"It's been like four hours."

"I know. And it's still good to see you again."

My heart melted a little at his words, but I ignored it. "Listen, don't take that kiss to heart, alright? I was being very dumb."

"It's okay. I still enjoyed it."

I released a breath and smiled. "Me too. So no hard feelings?"

"None at all. But that's not going to stop me from pursuing you."

"I-um..excuse me, what?" I stammered.

"You heard me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to wash up as well. I'll meet you in the living room."

* * *

I was still wondering what Edward meant when I heard footsteps behind me.

Edward was standing there in ripped jeans and a button up with sleeves rolled to the elbows. The top three buttons were undone, which gave me a pretty nice view of his chest. His messy bronze hair was still dripping wet from the shower and it was somehow refreshing just to look at him.

He easily jumped over the couch and flopped down besides me, wearing a lazy grin. I noticed that he smelt faintly like mint and it was really good. Like extremely good. _Goddamn...why must he look good in everything he wears?_

"Why are you staring at me? Is there still smoothie somewhere?" He asked.

I looked away quickly, embarrassed that I was caught. "Uh..um no, you look good. But, you probably knew that."

"You think I'm attractive?"

"No! Uh, I mean, I didn't say that. I just said you looked good." There was no need to make his ego bigger than it already is.

He stretched and leaned back saying, "Well unlike you, Bella, I like to be honest and I think you look attractive right now."

I could feel the blush creeping up my neck. Why did he have to say things like that?

"Edward, you need to stop making lame attempts at wooing me."

He scoffed. "Bella, you need to stop saying my attempts are lame. My phrases are completely original."

"Oh yeah. 'I think you look attractive right now' is so original."

"Okay, so you have a point. But that museum pick up line was really clever!"

"Like I've said before, I could've done much better," I retorted, not wanting him to think he can just get any girl he wants.

He stood up and motioned at me to do the same. "Alright then, let's see what you got. Let's pretend I'm some stranger you just met."

I rolled my eyes, "You _are_ some stranger I just met."

"Then lay it on me."

"Wait a minute. Could you hold something for me?"

Confused, he held out his hand.

Then I gave him my hand.

It took a moment before it clicked and his face was so shocked, I had to giggle. He smiled crookedly as he swung our hands back and forth.

"Damn. That was motherfucking brilliant. I am so impressed right now," he praised.

I tried to wiggle my hand out of his warm and strong grasp, but he wouldn't let go.

"Ahem, Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Your hand?"

"Is very comfortable where it is. Thank you for asking."

A voice behind us said, "How cute! Look at the love birds holding hands." It was Alice with Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie.

I snatched my hand away before any more comments were made. "We weren't really holding hands! I was just demonstrating something..."

"If you guys keep moving at this speed, Edward's gonna be dropping his pants in no time," Emmett teased.

"Ugh. Be mature," I said.

"I don't know, Bella. I think Edward has taken a liking to you."

"Well, I don't care about him or what he likes. I'm an independent woman who doesn't need any more guys in my life."

"Bella, you were suppose to say that like this. 'Mmmm hmm! I am an independent black woman who don't need no man!'" He snapped in z-formation for a dramatic effect.

"Uhh, well first of all, I'm not a black woman or sassy."

"Actually, you are really sassy," Edward added. "But, that's what I love about you."

I glared at him. "Stop trying to flirt with me!"

He put his hands up in defense. "Hey, I'm just being honest here. It's not my fault you can't accept affection."

"This is just a game to you! I bet you do this with every girl."

"A game? You're the one that kissed me out of nowhere!"

"Desperate times calls for desperate measures!"

Rosalie came between Edward and I. "Whoa, no fighting. Loud noises are bad for the baby. And Bella, I want you to feel welcomed, so just ignore him."

Turning away from him, I said, "Gladly."

Emmett nudged Jasper before singing, "I can see what's happening."

"What?" Jasper piped in.

"And they don't have a clue!" Emmett continued. It look a moment before I realized it was a Lion King reference.

"Who?" Jasper asked in a high voice.

"They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line, our trio is down to two."

I could feel my cheeks flaming up. Too much had happened today and all I wanted was to go home, take my stress out on the punching bag, and then take a nice bubble bath. _  
_

Rosalie shot me a sympathetic look and looped her arm through mine, leading me away. "Don't care too much about them," she said. "You'll get use to these goofballs eventually."

I silently disagreed with her. I wasn't planning to stick around with them any longer nor do I plan to see them again. The Cullens seemed friendly and nice, but I could not stand Edward any longer. His teasing and cocky comments and unearthly good looks were getting on my nerves and I definitely did not want to repeat history. I had to get as far away from him as I can.

* * *

At Alice's constant begging, I stayed for the rest of the night.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Carlisle and Esme were more than welcoming to us. They made sure we had plenty of food, company, and entertainment. They were surprisingly down to earth and not the snotty people I pictured. Emmett and Rosalie were possibly the cutest couple I've ever seen; she tolerated his ridiculous jokes and they stayed by each other's side practically the whole night.

Even Alice found her own partner. Her and Jasper were tucked away, chatting and getting lost in their own little bubble. I've been friends with her for years and I've never seen her this happy and giddy, which is saying a lot since Alice is always peppy. Jasper seems like he'd be perfect for her.

Something that amazed me about this particular family was how normal they were. On the car ride here, Alice filled me in on rumors that she discovered when researching the Cullens. How their company was corrupt, how they were power-driven, and how they were completely unprincipled and rude. Obviously, these rumors were created by people who wanted to ruin their image.

After an extravagant dinner and some competitive rounds of board games, Carlisle and Esme decided to retire to the bedroom.

Esme hugged Alice and I as she said, "It was so enjoyable having you girls here. I'm betting I'll be seeing a lot more of you two in the future." She winked at us. I really hope that was directed at only Alice since there was no way she'd stay away from Jasper.

Carlisle wrapped an arm around her, smiling. "Please know that you're always welcome here. And I'm sorry about the smoothie fiasco. Emmett will be better behaved the next time you see him."

Rosalie said, "Emmett's mature, I promise. He just really enjoys being the clown in the family." She sighed. "In fact, his humor was what won me over."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yup. There's a lot of traits that I love about him, but I knew I had to be with someone who could make me laugh."

I smiled at her. "I'm glad you found him then, Rosalie."

"Me too. Pretty soon we'll be parents and raise our first child. It's kind of scary, but with Emmett by my side, our baby will be just fine."

"Maybe I'll find love like yours someday." The idea of romance didn't really appeal to me right now, but I knew that eventually I'd have to settle down. I promised my dad that I'd give him grandchildren one day.

From the corner of my eye, Edward looked at me and said, "You know how the saying goes. The perfect guy might just be standing right in front of your face."

"Oh really? Too bad I'm not searching for the perfect guy yet."

Edward leaned back against the wall. "You can't decide when you're going to find him. It just happens, without any warning."

"So now you're a love expert?"

"No expertise, just experience."

"Like what?"

"Like right how. I'm falling in love with you."

I turned away, not wanting to look at his bright green eyes. I needed to ignore him; he was enjoying this way too much.

"I think I'm going to leave now," I said quickly, wanting to avoid the awkwardness.

After saying goodbye to everyone and telling Alice that I'll wait for her in the car, I headed out the front door and down the path. I made it halfway when I heard footsteps behind me. "Wait!"

It was Edward.

"If you have any more pick up lines," I said, "save it for someone gullible enough to fall for you."

He placed his hand over his heart. "That really hurts. Maybe if you don't compare me to every guy you've ever met, you might actually _like_ me."

"I'm not ready for another relationship."

"I'm just asking for friendship."

I stared at him in the night, the pathway lights illuminating the features on his face.

"Fine. Friendship. That's all you're getting."

"Go out with me then." I gave him a skeptical look, so he added, "As friends."

"I don't go out with strangers," I said.

"Good thing I do. I'll pick you up tomorrow."

* * *

**This chapter turned out a lot longer than I thought, so hope you don't mind. **

**Also, I got good feedback on the first chapter so thank you for that! Let me know what you think of this one!**

**-Alexis**


	3. Chapter 3

**EPOV**

_Bella. Bella. Bella._

I couldn't get her out of my thoughts.

Her wavy chestnut brown hair.

Her huge doe eyes that stare straight into my soul.

Her pink plump lips that tease me every time they moved.

She was clearly an attractive women and yet she wasn't aware of the effect she had on me. I've never seen any other woman who looks so good in a baseball cap and plaid shirt than she did yesterday. But for some other reason, I was completely infatuated and fascinated with her. I've only known her for a short while, but her witty remarks and the way she didn't put up with my bullshit was something new. Women usually complied and agreed with everything I said because they're trying to please me...but Bella didn't care. She loathed me and I loved every bit of it. It drew me closer to her.

I wanted to break down her walls and get to know her better. She was a beauty, a challenge, and a mystery.

My egotistical side had told her that I would pick her up today, but I still needed to find a time suitable for the both of us. _And you forgot to get her address, dumbass._

I made my mental note to tell my secretary to run a report on Bella Swan.

After sorting through paperwork for the evening's plans, I decided to take a quick nap before heading out. Right as I was about to drift to sleep, a ringtone blared a classic rock and roll song.

"Goddammit," I cursed as I got sat up.

Jasper's iPhone continued to ring on my desk. He must've forgotten to take it with him before going to lunch.

Picking it up, I answered, "Cullen Constructions; Edward speaking."

"Where's Jasper?" A high pitched, panicked voice asked from the other end.

"Jasper went out to lunch earlier and forgot his phone."

"Okay, well this is Alice here and I'm freaking out!" She screeched. I cringed and moved the phone away from my ear.

"Calm down," I said, "what's wrong?"

"Um, well, Bella and I volunteered to build tree houses for a playground, but everyone went out for lunch and we were still working, but then a heavy plank of wood accidentally fell on her head and I-"

"Wait, what? Is she okay?!" I demanded, growing anxious myself.

"Uh, I don't know! I think she's fine, but she doesn't want to go to the hospital...Bella, can you get up now?"

I heard some groaning and hissing in the background.

"Yeah um, Edward, we could use some help here," Alice said.

Already one step ahead of her, I grabbed my keys and ran down to my Volvo. "Alright Alice, give me your location."

"We're at Robinson Park. Oh and bring some ice! Maybe a first aid kit too."

I frowned as she said that. Bella was going to be the death of me.

* * *

As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw many planks of woods, paint, and construction tools scattered all over the place. Under the shade of a tree, Bella was resting in a lawn chair with Alice by her side.

Bella sat up straighter when she saw me approaching. Her long hair was thrown back in a pony tail and she was wearing a white tank top and short jeans. God, she was purposely trying to kill me. She was way too tempting and revealing...I could see the top of her breasts and the perfect 'v' curve pointing straight down. She had a nice rack..._No, Cullen! Focus! If she knew what you were thinking, she might actually kill you._

"What are you staring at?" Bella snapped. Busted.

I looked up at her eyes. "Nothing. Alice told me to get some ice and a first aid kit."

"I thought you said Jasper was coming."

Laughing nervously, Alice said, "Well, I did...but Edward picked up and I was really worried about you, so I told him to come instead...surprise!"

"I called Emmett and Jasper. They cancelled all the evening meetings and are on their way," I said to Alice.

"This is so unnecessary. You guys don't have to waste your time here," Bella rebuked.

"Well, there's no other place I'd rather be."

Bella tried to turn her head away from me, but that made her wince.

I grimaced and said, "Relax. I'm only here to help. Now gently put this on your head." I handed her the ice pack.

"Thanks...Edward."

"You're welcome. How bad is it?"

"Pretty bad. I'm kind of a danger magnet."

I searched through the first aid kit for anything that might ease her pain. "What were you thinking, that you could single-handedly finish these tree house? That's a dangerous job; you should've called for help."

"There were other people working too. Besides, I don't like asking for help. I do things by myself."

"Do you have a lonely complex, Bella?"

"What? No! What's so wrong with being independent?"

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. I just doubt that anyone actually likes being alone."

"Yeah well, I've been like this for as long as I can remember. It's not going to change."

I smiled up at her. "And that's why the angels decided to send me here. I'm going to change that."

"You know, for someone extravagant and notorious, you seem pretty intent on being in my boring life."

Ruffling her hair, I said, "Nah. I've only known you for two days and nothing has been boring. I don't think it ever will be."

Just then, we heard a loud honk followed by the roaring of an engine. I turned around to see that Emmett and Jasper have arrived in the Jeep Commander. Emmett cut the engine and hopped out, waving his hands like an idiot.

He grabbed two tool boxes from the backseat before heading our way and shouting, "The party has finally arrived! Please hold your applause until the very end."

Alice sprinted forward to greet Jasper and helped him carry some supplies.

Jasper supressed a smile as he approached us. "You know, seeing you everyday is becoming a normal routine for me, Bella."

"Don't even start. This is humiliating enough for me."

"Aww, it's okay, Bella! We all make mistakes. Like one time, I was vacuuming the house and had headphones on. It wasn't until I took them off that I realized I vacuumed the whole damn house without actually plugging it in. I had to do it _all_ over again!" Emmett added and then sighed. "Man, life is just rough."

To my surprise, Bella started laughing uncontrollably and she even snorted. It was absolutely the cutest laugh I have ever heard. It suddenly became my life goal to make her laugh more.

"You are the biggest idiot ever and yet you never cease to amaze me!" Bella praised.

He set the tool boxes down. "Wow. That is like the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Come here." Emmett held his arms out and gestured for a hug to which Bella shook her head.

"No thanks, I don't really like hugs," she said. I rolled my eyes. _And yet you made out with me._

Emmett ignored her comment and picked her up anyways, swinging her around like a rag doll. "Nope, if you're gonna be friends with us, hugs are an absolute must!" She struggled, but it was useless against his 6'5'' body.

I decided to help and pulled her away. "Em, she's just hit her head. I don't think swinging her around is a good idea."

"Ohhhhhh, I get it. You just want Bella all to yourself...Well then, brother dear, have fun!" He said with a wink.

Bella pulled away from me and I instantly missed the contact with her.

"Jesus...everyone seems to want us to be together," she complained.

I nudged her foot. "Well, we were suppose to be going on a date today. I was looking forward to seeing you in a little black dress."

She playfully nudged back. "Yeah, I don't think I ever actually agreed to that."

I looked around at the mess and it looks like they've only managed to make four tree houses, which honestly weren't very good. "I'm pretty sure you owe me one after we're through here."

"I told you that we don't need any assistance. We've been doing completely fine."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? It's completely fine that you're injured, that there's a huge mess, and that the houses look like shit?"

She attempted to glare at me furiously, but it only made her look adorable. Bella was like a kitten trying to be a lion.

"Fine. You win this time, " she said at last.

We both turned forward to watch Alice show Jasper the blueprints while Emmett took a huge sledgehammer and destroyed the tree houses that were already made. "Hey!" Bella yelled, "It took forever to build those!"

"Sorry!" Emmett shouted back, "But, these kind of really suck, so we're starting from scratch! Go big or go home!"

Bella didn't look too convinced, so I said, "Just leave this to the professionals, sweet pea."

"Isn't it too soon to be jumping to cheesy nicknames?"

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Bella, let me tell you about baseball. You have the three bases: french, feel, and finger. We've already made it to first base, so I think nicknames are okay now. That also leaves us with the last two and the grand home run: fuck."

"You're crazy if you think we're gonna have sex."

"I'm attracted to you, you're attracted to me. It's inevitable, Bella." I couldn't help but push her buttons. She bought out this playful and, shamefully, perverted side in me that I didn't realize was still there.

She smacked my arm. "You need to stop being so immature!"

I looked down at her and that was instantly a big mistake. Today was a sunny hot day and logically, Bella wore a tank top. But, it had to be a _tight_ tank top which emphasized her breasts and pushed them up, teasing me. So because of our height difference, I had the perfect view of her breasts and her flush sweaty skin. I wanted to drag her back to my place, throw her on my bed, and make her skin flushed and sweaty in a completely different way.

_Stop thinking of her like that, Cullen! _

God, Esme and Carlisle had raised me better than this.

"Sorry." I cleared my throat and offered her my arm. "Shall we?"

"We're building tree houses, not going to prom."

"Shut up and let me be romantic."

And she did.

* * *

By the time we finished, it was evening and we made a grand total of 13 well-built and structured tree houses. All of us were insanely exhausted, so we all agreed to wash up and then meet at Emmett's house. He said that Rosalie had ordered some pizza and made ice cream.

"She just understands me," he proclaimed proudly as we cleaned up.

Bella whispered to me, "It might just be me, but I seriously think there's no better match than Rosalie and Emmett."

_Well, if you'd give me a chance, we might be even better._

"I don't know if I should come over though. All I can think about is bed," Bella continued.

"We're sharing the same thought."

"You're thinking about bed too?"

"I'm thinking about _you_ in _my_ bed."

"Please tell me that line didn't actually work on someone."

"You're the first girl I used that on. Consider yourself a lab rat."

"Yes, that's exactly how you get a girl to sleep with you. Call her a lab rat."

Before I could respond, Alice appeared and leaped onto Bella's back, chanting, "Piggyback ride, piggyback ride, piggyback ride!"

Bella didn't look surpised at all. "Fine fine. When you become a world famous fashion designer, remember me and how I carried your ass everywhere."

Alice rested her head on Bella's shoulder. "Of course, Bells!"

Bella turned to me and said, "Well, thanks for your help today. The houses turned out better than I imagined. See you in a bit."

I smiled at her as she walked clumsily to her beaten-down truck and left. I could be imagining things, but I think she's warming up to me.

My mind continued to replay the same thought.

_Bella. Bella. Bella._

* * *

When I rang the doorbell, Emmett opened the door and thrust a beer in my hand. "Eddie, my bro! You made it just in time! It's game night!"

Everyone was gathered in a circle on the living room floor with cards, chips, and bottle of beer in the middle. Emmett sat down next to Rosalie And Alice was sitting on Jasper's lap, whispering something in his ear that I probably didn't want to know. Bella was leaning against the wall and waved me over to the empty spot by her.

I sat down cross-legged next to her as she was shuffling the cards impressively fast.

"Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"My mom loves going to Vegas, so I go along to make sure she didn't get knocked up. I may have picked up a thing or two."

She continued to shuffle and deal the cards without missing a beat.

"You're the whole package deal, aren't you?"

"If you consider dealing cards an impressive quality, then you obviously haven't been out much," she said.

Emmett stood up, raising up a bowl of ice cream in one hand and a beer in the other. "Alright people! Let's get this party started! We're gonna start slow and easy with Blackjack, but just letting you all know...I'm gonna kick your asses!" Jasper and I started booing him loudly. "Oh and winner gets to pick what we're doing next weekend!"

"Ok Emmett, there's no way we're gonna let you win. You made us all go to Chuck E. Cheeses last time," I said.

"And it was totally awesome!"

"There were a lot of angry parents because you wouldn't get out of the bouncy house," Rosalie added. "It was a Chuck E. Cheeses mad house."

He scoffed. "Babe please, I _rocked_ that place."

Bella murmured, "I can't believe he's a co-owner of an internationally successful company."

"Sometimes, neither can I. We've thought about disowning Emmett, but without his stupidity, things would be too boring around here."

She laughed. "I know exactly what you mean. It's the same with Alice. Can't live with her, but I can't live without her."

"Also, there's a new rule! Losers have to take a shot of alcohol, so let's get wild!" Emmett finished.

There was a collective sound of groans and cheers as he sat back down.

I looked around at my group of friends, now with the addition of Bella and Alice. Out of nowhere, there was a peaceful feeling settling in my chest. It was as if this was where I was meant to be. Out of the corner of my eye, I peeked at Bella, who was chatting with Rosalie about the baby. It was clear that she made me feel comfortable, but this strong connection I had to her only after a few days scared me. I don't know what path we're headed down, but what I do know is this was the beginning of something crazy and strange and special.

Bella interrupted my thoughts when she asked, "Do you want any ice cream? Rose said she made a whole bunch in the kitchen."

"Sure."

Bella led me out of the room and into the kitchen. I tried to ignore all the thumbs ups and winks directed my way. I was getting ice cream, not her virginity. Besides, there was no way someone as attractive as her was still a virgin_._

"Rosalie seriously makes the best ice cream ever," Bella said, "I've never had anything like it."

She scooped a huge chunk of the ice cream and handed it to me. "One fresh homemade mocha latte ice cream!"

"Thanks, but I don't need help scooping ice cream. I'm not a kid, you know."

She smiled playfully. "You sure about that? 'Cause you act like one."

Ignoring her, I shoved a spoonful into my mouth and was shocked by the little moan I let out.

"Sweet baby Jesus, this is fucking amazing!"

"Told you so."

I continued savoring the taste of the ice cream, licking and slurping up every bit. I hadn't eaten since lunch so my hunger combined with the delicious rich taste made me a little ravenous. I was almost done when I noticed Bella was staring at me. Shit, I must've looked like an ice cream obsessed creep to her. She blushed when my eyes met her and I wondered why she was the one embarrassed.

"Uh... you got some ice cream..on your shirt."

I thought for a second at what was wrong with her. I was just eating the ice cream like an obnoxious kid...licking and slurping...then it clicked. A slow grin spread across my face. My tongue doing those motions reminded her of something. Maybe she was just as dirty as I am.

I put the bowl down and lifted my shirt up to my mouth. Without breaking eye contact with her, I slowly licked it off my shirt.

Her mouth was agape and her eyes bewildered. Bingo.

"What the _fuck_ was that?"

"Just cleaning the ice cream off my shirt. Problem?" I couldn't disguise the smugness in my voice.

"That was completely uncalled for! You're lucky that you got good looks."

I walked closer to her. "What does my looks have to do with anything?"

"That damn tongue of yours..."

I pulled her closer to me so she couldn't look away. "Can do a lot of things. Wanna try it out?"

A breath escaped her mouth and I leaned down, needing the pressure of her lips on mine again.

"What's taking you guys so long?! You better not be fucking on my kitchen table!"

Bella and I both jumped away from each other. Emmett really needs to keep that mouth of his shut.

"We'll be right out there, you asshole!" I groaned. This sexual tension wasn't going to leave anytime soon and I wanted to relieve it. But a part of me didn't want to rush things with Bella. A part of me wanted to know her physically and emotionally.

"Sorry about that. I didn't know what I was thinking," she whispered.

"I do. You were thinking about my tongue and I'm gonna be straightforward. I want to kiss you."

She blushed an even deeper shade of red. "You're a cocky bastard."

Walking back, she paused in the doorway without turning around. "But maybe next time."

I'm holding her to that.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please please _please_ leave a review!**

**-Alexis**


	4. Chapter 4

**BPOV**

As I dismissed my kindergarten class to recess with the other classes, I noticed an oddly familiar silver car in the parking lot.

_No. _

There was no way that was Edward's car. He doesn't know that I work as a part-time teacher here. But…since he's so influential and powerful, who knows what can of information he could get access to? Oh my god, what if he has a whole file on me? What if he knows everything there is to know about me? _Calm down, Bella._ It's not like he's a stalker or anything. I'm just getting paranoid since I've seen him so much lately…and he's been on my mind a lot lately…_ugh I'm screwed._

I sat down at my desk in the empty classroom, trying to not think of him and enjoy the silence. Although I love working with children, it's not exactly pleasant to hear shrieks and cries constantly. I was reaching for my lunch bag when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in."

I didn't look up because I figured it was another parent coming to thank me for making the tree houses. Not that I didn't appreciate their gratitude, but about 20 parents have already interrupted my chaotic class to say thanks. I can't blame them though. With the Cullens' professional help, the houses turned out better than anyone could imagine.

As I took a bite of my sandwich, expecting the same comment, I was surprised by a velvet voice.

"What the _hell_ are you eating?"

Edward Cullen. Edward Cullen was standing in my classroom.

I looked up slowly. "It's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Do you not know what that is?"

He was wearing his usual business attire, minus the suit jacket. His tie was loosened and his sleeves were rolled up to the elbows. I grimaced. I can't figure out why that is so attractive to me.

"No, I know what it is. I just haven't had one since elementary school."

I gestured around me. "I am a kindergarten teacher after all. Speaking of which, how did you know I work here?"

"Alice, of course."

Phew. So, he isn't a stalker. "Then, why are you here?"

Edward leaned across my desk and he was so close that I could smell his cologne. "I'm taking time out of my insanely busy schedule to accompany a lovely lady to lunch."

"And what makes you think I'm going to agree to this?"

He picked up my poorly made sandwich and dropped it in the trashcan. "Because I want to know you better."

I frowned at him and said bitterly, "Don't you have files that you could just pull out that'd tell you everything about me?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, but I prefer the old-fashioned way."

* * *

"I have no idea what this place is," I said, getting out of his extremely nice car. "How do you even pronounce that name?"

"Schlotzsky's," he said slowly, "and it's the best sandwich place in the world! How have you never ate here before?"

"I don't go out to eat much. I'm more of a stay-at-home-and-cook-terrible-food-person."

Edward held the door open for me. "Ah, I see. That needs to change then."

I was about to object when I was engulfed in a delicious smell that reminded me how hungry I really was. "Shall we?" Edward led me with his hand on my lower back to the cashier.

"I'll have a median chipotle chicken on sour dough bread with no lettuce or tomatoes. Add cheddar and southwest sauce too," he said without skipping a beat. I could tell he ordered here a lot.

The cashier noted this all down and then both of them looked at me expectantly.

"Ummm..." I looked at the menu behind him, not knowing what to get. "I'll have the same thing he's having."

Edward quickly paid and feeling guilty at spending his money, I shook my head. "I can pay you back."

"No need. It wasn't that much anyway," he said with a tone that meant it wasn't up for debate.

We slide into a booth in the corner and Edward smiled at me. "Following my lead, aren't you?"

"I figured you know what's really good here. So, don't disappoint me."

He laughed. "I would never. So, tell me a little about yourself."

I fiddled with the hem of my blouse. "There's nothing really to know about me."

"How about your parents? You said your mother likes going to Vegas."

"Oh yeah. Well, my parents divorced when I was 12 and they left on pretty bad terms. My dad lives alone in a small town called Forks. He's happily the sheriff there. And my mother...well, after they split, she was really heart-broken. Everyday, she wishes that she did something to keep their marriage going; she wishes that she didn't give up. And of course, because of her huge pride, she can't beg my dad to take her back. So, she's doing the next best thing. Getting completely wasted and knocked up in Vegas, where she can drown out all her bad feelings."

I looked at Edward and shockingly, his eyes were filled with sorrow. "That must be really rough on your mother...and yourself."

I stared back at him with just as much sadness. "It is. I can't watch her all the time, but I manage to keep tabs on her."

We sat in silence for a while until a waitress bought our sandwiches to the table. They were already cut in half since they were so big.

Apprehensively, I picked up a half. Edward nodded his head at me, encouraging me to take the first bite so he can gauge my reaction.

I took a huge bite and sweet baby Jesus, I was not ready for how it would taste.

"Oh my god...this is soooo good!" The bread was unbelievably soft and warm and the sauce just complimented the sandwich. I just about melted on the spot.

Please with my reaction, Edward started eating his own sandwich. "Amazing, isn't it?"

"It's more than amazing. It's like heaven in a sandwich! It's so orgasmic."

Edward choked on his bite, alarmed. "Orgasmic?"

"Yeah. That's how Alice and I describe all delicious food. It's so good that it's pleasurable."

"I guess you're right. Then I agree! This sandwich is very orgasmic!"

"Shhhh! Don't say that so loud!" I scolded him, giggling like a school girl.

We continued to eat our little pieces of heaven and I kept laughing because he was making silly faces at me. How could someone who looked so sexy be so dorky?

After I stopped my giggling fits, I continued my story, "Even though my mom makes pretty horrible choices, there's one piece of advice that she's always given me."

Curious, he asked, "And what's that?"

"To find a man who respects me like a sea captain respects the sea. A man who looks at me with awe and reverence, but knows I'm a force of nature."

Edward was quiet for a while before saying, "I like that."

"Me too. You see, my dad respected and loved her a lot, but she threw it away, so she doesn't want me to do the same."

Edward tossed me one of his lopsided grins. "You'll find him. In fact, he might be sitting right in front of you."

I nudged his foot under the table playfully. "Maybe."

He nudged back. "I'm not that big of an asshole."

Right then, the restaurant door chimed open and Mike and Jessica sauntered in like they owned the place. _Oh hell no._ Now is not a good time to deal with them.

"Speaking of assholes..." I trailed on. Of all the people I could have run into, it had to be them.

Edward's head snapped around as Mike's baby blue eyes caught my glare. A devious smile formed on his face and he led Jessica over to our booth. When I saw her at the museum last week, her hair was still a natural brown color, but now it was golden blonde. I sighed. Mike did say he preferred blondes over brunettes. I would've never changed my hair for him.

"Bella. I didn't expect to see you here. You never went out much when we were dating."

Nice. No greetings, just accusations.

"Well. Here I am," I replied lamely.

"How are those rotten kindergartners of yours?"

"Fine."

Seeing that I was holding my resolve, he tried another tactic. Mike pulled Jessica closer by her lower waist and she giggled. I think I'm going to puke. _Don't think about the memories. Don't think about the memories. Don't think-_

"You remember Jess, right?"

"Yes, of fucking course I remember the bitch you screwed in the bathroom at Alice's party. Actually, I think everyone remembered because you two weren't exactly quiet! How could I ever forget a girl like that?" _And boom goes the dynamite. _Each word was filled with more and more anger. I didn't want to created a scene in front of everyone, but I was damn furious. Weeks of holding back my frustration were about to pour out.

I was utterly humiliated at the party. Everyone knew what was going on and I was looked at with pity the whole time they were banging in that tiny bathroom. Finally, Jessica stumbled out, with messed up hair and clothes out of place. Mike was right behind her and saw me and then _he_ had the nerve to yell at _me_. I shook my head, nothing wanting to think about that anymore. _Don't think about the memories._

Mike smirked-not sexy Edward smirk, but creepy smirk-because he knew that he was getting under my skin. My blood was boiling and I'm sure my face was red.

Unable to handle him anymore, I was about to get up and leave when suddenly, the strangest thing happened. I felt a calmness settle over me. Edward had reached across the table and grabbed my hand.

"It's okay, babe. You got me now."

At first, I was alarmed, but then I realized: he was pretending to be my boyfriend. I glanced at him, hoping that he won't make this situation worse.

Mike was startled, but then said mockingly. "Oh, you're her boyfriend?"

"What's it to you?" Edward questioned, gripping my hand tighter.

"I just thought you were paying her to sleep with you. She could never get someone as wealthy as you to be with her unless it was for sex."

I felt like I had just been slapped in the face. My vision turned red with fury. But, Edward stood up and I swore steam came out of his ears. He looked enraged. He stood in front of Mike, towering over him by a few inches. Mike backed up a few steps. He paled in comparison next to Edward.

Edward glared at him and I was little frightened myself. "If you want to live, don't _ever_ talk to Bella like that again or you'll have to face me and that won't be very pleasant." His words were threatening and filled with malice.

He held out his hand or me to talk. "Come on, Bella. We have better things to do."

Mike and Jessica stared after us, shocked and irritated.

To my surprise, Edward leaned over and kissed me on the head. Then, he intertwined his long fingers with mine and all I could think about were his gentle touches, warm and comforting.

* * *

Edward walked me back to the classroom, no longer holding my hand, but I didn't want to admit that I missed the contact. We didn't talk about Mike and Jessica in the car. Instead, we sang obnoxiously loud to catchy pop songs. I surprised him by flawlessly singing all the lyrics to Taylor Swift's latest single.

"What? The girl writes good songs."

"No, I agree. You just never cease to astonish me. You're amazingly sexy one moment and completely dorky the next. I like it."

The way he looked at me made me unwillingly blush. The way he looked at me was like he respected me._  
_

There was a whistle blown, which meant the kids were about to come in from recess. I quickly started to clean up the mess they had made before they come back in. I was too distracted on my lunch date with Edward to notice the time.

He stood around uncomfortably with his hands in his pockets.

"Uh...thanks for helping me out back there," I begin, "I'm sorry you had to meet them like that."

"Although he pissed the hell out of me, it was nice to learn more about your past, even the ugly parts."

I sighed. "Yeah, dating him definitely wasn't the smartest move I made."

"I understand why you kissed me when you saw him then."

Pausing, I said, "Now that was smart move. Weird, isn't it? All that happened just last week."

"And now, we're going on dates."

"_Unofficial_ dates. Showing up randomly to take me out doesn't count," I added.

"Don't worry. I'll drag your cute little ass on an official date even if it kills me." He winked.

I rolled my eyes and after a moment, I asked quietly, "How do you do it? Be so cool and confident?"

He leaned back against my desk. "I've trained myself to be controlled and I actually know what I'm doing. Plus, I deal with people like Mike all the time-and worse too. But, I ask myself this question: why would I want to put my self-esteem in the hands of complete assholes?"

I was dumbstruck for a minute. I had never thought about it like that.

He grinned, "Pretty good advice, isn't it? Carlisle told me the same thing."

"He's really a smart man."

"Your mother seems wise herself."

All of a sudden, there was a commotion in the hallway. "Uh oh, the little ones are back."

Edward frowned. "I'm not really good with children."

The door opened and they came piling in, chattering loudly, stomping their shoes, and bringing with them the smell of sweat.

One of the little girls skipped up to me, her curly pigtails bouncing behind her.

I bent down and asked, "What is it, Anna?"

She giggled in my arms. "I got you a flower, Miss Swan!" Anna handed me a yellow tulip, obviously picked from one of the flower bushes on the playground.

I gave her a tight hug. "Why, thank you, Anna! It's beautiful!"

Then, she gasped like she just noticed Edward's presence and whispered, "Who's that? Is that your Prince Charming?"

Edward's eyes lit up and he smiled, so I couldn't help smiling back. "No, he's just a friend."

Anna peered suspiciously at him. "Are you super sure?" I nodded. "Well, okay! But, he's really cute." With that, she ran off to her waiting friends.

I stood back up and saw that Edward started to help the kids settle down in their chairs.

_Yeah, he really is __cute._

* * *

**Sorry for being MIA! I started school again and it was crazy. But, now it's all settled down and I'm back! **

**I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter and before you ask, I think Schlotzsky's is absolutely amazing and so is Taylor Swift. Leave a review! Reviews motivate me to write the next chapter and trust me, it's gonna be good.**

**-Alexis**


	5. Chapter 5

**EPOV**

There was a loud banging on my office door.

I ignored it.

Another banging followed.

I groaned. _Just ignore him and he'll go away eventually_. Of course, this method had never worked before.

"Edward! If you don't open up this goddamn door, things are gonna get ugly!"

I swear to God if Emmett wasn't my brother, I'd have him arrested a long time ago.

Suddenly, it got very quiet outside my door. I held my breath. Did Emmett finally realize that I need to be left alone to my work? This was the first time he stopped bothering me.

I mentally thanked the heavens for this miracle and resumed going through the accounting records. Then just as quick as it came, the silence was broken by Jasper's voice.

"Uh Em, I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Too fucking bad!"

A huge hole appeared in the middle of door. This was like a horror movie waiting to happen. I watched in astonishment as another hole was smashed in. And another one until I could see Emmett and Jasper standing on the other side. Emmett waved with the hammer in his hand and Jasper smiled sheepishly.

All feelings of anger flowed through my body and I'm sure my eyes were flashing red. I could yell at him from the top of my lungs and give myself a huge headache. Or I could set my head down on the table and mope in my dark cloud of frustration and hatred. So, I choose the latter since that took less strain on my part.

They unlocked my door and slowly walked towards my desk.

"I told you things would get ugly," Emmett said.

"You're not helping!" Jasper hissed and then said to me, "We can get that door fixed. Construction's what we do, remember?"

How could I forget? This company has been haunting me for weeks now. Because it's getting so popular, there's been high demands on everything and I'm the one who has to keep track of the most important tasks. Being a CEO really isn't as great as people thought. What good is money if you barely have time for anything else?

"Guys," I said, "leave me the fuck alone. I'm too overwhelmed for this."

Emmett lifted me up by the shoulders and shook me vigorously. "Did you really forget? We're going to the club tonight in two hours and you're still locked up in your office!"

"That's today?"

"Yeah! It's fucking Friday and everyone's already left the building."

Alice had won the game of Blackjack a week ago after we had finished building the tree houses. That meant she got to pick where we hung out and she proudly announced that we'd be going to a club. That also meant that Bella would be going. That thought suddenly made me very eager to get out of here. Bella had looked extremely uncomfortable at the mention of a club. However, when I asked Alice later about it, she confidently said that Bella "absolutely adored clubs."

Jasper saw the infatuated look on my face and grinned, "Come on, I'll take care of those records later. Our ladies are waiting for us."

* * *

Jasper and I were the last ones to arrive at the club. The building was thumping with loud music. We searched through the sweaty dancing bodies and blinding lights to find our friends.

He grabbed my arm. "I just saw a sparkly red dress! That's Alice!"

He led the way and before I could tell him how stupid it was to assume that Alice was wearing that, we were are their booth. Sure enough, Alice was standing there talking to Rosalie in a bright sparkly dress with red rhinestones. I noticed that everyone was present, except for Bella. I couldn't help but feel disappointed that she might not be here.

Jasper surprised Alice with a hug from behind and she spun around in that elegant way she always does with the biggest smile on her face. In the corner of the booth, Rosalie and Emmett were getting close and cozy with each other. I definitely did not want to be here just to watch PDA.

"If you're looking for Bella, she's at the bar," Alice told me.

I nodded in thanks and turned to go when she added, "But, you better be careful. I told she loves clubs, so she's probably a little crazy right now."

"Reserved kindergarten teacher Bella? There's no way," I argued.

"Oh, you'd be surprised. Bella tends to lose her mind and morals when she's drinking."

Distraught, I asked, "Aren't you the least bit worried for her?"

Alice looked offended. "Of course I am! She's my _best friend_, after all. There's a reason she took boxing lessons. To protect herself. Plus, every time we go out, I keep an eye on her. But since you're here, you can do that!"

I thought Alice was joking about our whole conversation until I actually arrived at the bar.

Bella was perched on a tall bar stool, her long creamy legs dangling below her. She was facing my direction, but hadn't seen me yet, so I got a good look at her. I stopped, breathless and shocked. She looked tastefully sinful. Bella gave the term, "little black dress", a whole new meaning. Her dress was unthinkably sexy. It had a collar with plunging V neckline that showed off her great cleavage, something she would normally never wear. Her usual long wavy hair was completely straightened and her dark eye makeup completed the look.

There was no doubt that Alice did all this. But that still didn't diminish the fact how attracted and turned on I was for her.

The only problem was that she was chatting up some tall brown-skinned guy who obviously had an interest in her. An unfamiliar feeling of jealously surged through me and I forced myself to walk up to them. I recognized the guy as Jacob Black. He was an old childhood friend of mine and there were a few times where I've mentioned Bella to him.

However, that didn't lessen my jealously.

"Isabella."

Both of their heads snapped to me.

"_Edward?!_"

I tore my devouring eyes from Bella and looked at the bar behind her. There were already many empty glasses. I looked back at Bella and noticed her eyes were hazy and she was swaying a little. She was drunk off her ass.

"Wait," Jacob said, "You're Isabella? _The _Isabella?"

I glared at Jacob, saying in a low growl, "Yes. She's _my_ Isabella. Care to explain?"

He put his hands up, half laughing and half coughing. "I had no idea she was the Isabella you've been talking about. If I had known, I wouldn't have made an approach at her. You know me, man."

Jacob looked genuine enough and he has never betrayed me before.

Bella kept looking between the two of us. "W-wait...how do you know Jakey?"

_Jakey?!_I raised an eyebrow at Jacob and he shrugged. "He's a...friend," I answered with strain.

Jacob noticed my tense expression and said that he's going out on the dance floor in search for more women.

Bella looked really sad when he walked off. "You scared away my best friend!"

"Best friend?"

She finally stood up on her tall red stilettos and shouted, "Yeah! Jakey got me a bunch of drinks and...and...he listened to my feelings!"

The sheer chiffon panel in her skirt was teasing me and despite my jealously, I wanted to take her to the bathroom and rip her dress off. I took a deep breath and tried to control myself. I couldn't take advantage of her like this.

Crossing her arms, she huffed, "What are you even doing here?

"I was tired of admiring your legs from a distance."

Then, she reached down and started rubbing her legs. "Yeah, they are pretty nice. Wanna feel?"

I took her hands in mine. "Bella, you're completely intoxicated. You need to go home."

She snatched her hands away. "No! I wanna go dance..." Then, she gasped like she had the most brilliant idea. "Ed-waaard! You should dance with meeee!"

Just like that, she grabbed my hand and stumbled her way through the crowd. Nervous, I shamefully ogled her open back and perfect ass. I could not believe this sexy goddess wanted to dance with me.

We stopped at the heart of the dance floor and Bella looked at me seductively with her smokey brown eyes of her.

"I've..." Hiccup. "Always wanted..." Hiccup. "To dance with you..." She managed to say and then let her dancing do the talking.

Bella pulled me so close to her that I could kiss the red lipstick off her face. She started to move against me in ways that I couldn't describe. My head couldn't register that this was happening, but my body sure was. I haven't felt this alive in a long time.

Closing my eyes, I let myself relax to the music and moved against her and it felt _so fucking amazing_. We were both panting and groaning and I could feel myself growing harder. Bella turned around and grinded her ass on me. I moved my hands up and down her body, exploring every curve. She leaned back into me, resting her head on my shoulder and I knew she was the definition for temptation.

I wanted to pepper her neck with kisses; I wanted grab her breasts; I wanted to do unspeakable bad things to her. But I had to stop myself. All those things I wanted to do, I wanted Bella to remember them. Not wake up with a hangover the next morning and forget it all.

Still allowing myself the pleasure of dancing with her, I tried not to let it go too far.

Unfortunately, the song ended and Bella turned around with a huge smile. "Oh my god, that was so fun!" She sighed contently. "We should do that again...but I'm so hot right now!"

Her face was red and sweaty and her hair was messed up. Somehow, that only made her look hotter.

"I have to go potty," she announced loudly.

I couldn't help but chuckle. She clumsily walked off in the direction of the bathrooms before I could say anything. I headed back to the booth, completely on cloud nine.

Alice and Jasper were the only ones there and they were making out and groping each other. Normally this would've bothered me, but I was too fucking happy after dancing with Bella.

Alice looked up and Jasper frowned at my intrusion.

"I take it from the look on your face that you found Bella and practically had sex with her on the dance floor," Alice said bluntly.

I sat down and chugged a drink before answering, "I kind of wish we _did_ have sex on the dance floor."

"Trust me. She wants you just as bad."

Jasper ended our short chat by moving his mouth back on Alice's and I decided to wait for Bella by the bar.

After 15 minutes passed, I became worried that something happened to her. What if she's with some other bastard right now? I frantically searched around for her when my phone started vibrating.

It was Jacob.

I skipped my usual introduction and went straight to the point. "What is it, Jacob?"

"Uhhh...I have your girl with me out behind the club."

"What?!"

"Calm down. She's fine. I saw her wandering around back here." Damn. I should've been more careful watching her.

"And what did she say?" I asked impatiently.

"That she wanted her Edward." He chuckled. "She's drunk as hell, man."

I softened my voice. "Thanks Jake. I'll be right out there."

* * *

Bella was lying down on the bench while Jacob stood watching guard. He waved me over when he saw me.

"She's really tired, so I don't think she can do anymore damage."

I patted his back. "Thanks. I owe you one."

"No problem. She's all yours."

I bent down to Bella's level and shook her lightly. "Bella? It's time to go home now."

She slowly sat up and stretched. "Home...? I don't wanna go home! It's s...s..uper duper fun here..."

"Not a chance you're saying here. Now, come on." I lifted her arm around my shoulder and walked her to the front of the club where a cab was ready for us.

I opened the door for her to get in, which she did. I tried to climb in after her, but she didn't seem to budge.

"Bella..." I teased, "you're going to have to scoot over or I'll sit on your lap."

Finally, she scooted over a bit and when I sat down beside her, she rested her head on my arm.

She leaned up and started sniffing my neck. "You smell really good...Do you have colognes like on T.V. where the ugly guy uses it and all the women suddenly like him? Maybe that's why I like you..."

"You like me?"

"Duh. It's so so so obvious, silly!"

I scoffed. "Well, you've definitely pushed me away a lot when you're sober."

"Psssh...I dunno know you're talking about..."

"You really are something special, _Bella_. Why didn't you correct me when I called you Isabella?"

"I dunno...I like it when you say my name. With your lips. I like your lips."

Out of nowhere, Bella climbed into my lap and straddled me. Her skirt lifted up a bit.

_Holy fuck_.

I gulped. "What-what are you doing?"

"I wanna kiss your lips." She leaned forward but I turned my head, so she ended up kissing my cheek.

Bella looked at me with hurt eyes. "Don't you want me?"

"Really fucking bad. But, I'm not going to touch you when you're drunk."

Pouting, Bella pushed herself off me and huffed, "You're no fun."

I didn't say anything. I was too busy trying the forget the feeling of her on my lap.

Bella yawned and complained, "It's too uncomfortable in this dress!"

She reached behind her to undo the collar, but I stopped her hands. If she undid the collar then the rest of her dress will fall down, exposing her body. If that happened, I don't think I would be able to stop myself.

"Bella no."

"Bella yes! Why not? My boobies hurt." She pouted again.

I laughed. "Fuck Bella. I don't know how you're doing this, but you're making me laugh and so hard for you at the same time. You're killing me here."

"You deserve it 'cause you won't let me do anything I want!" She leaned back and started jiggling her breasts. "They huuuuurt sooo much..."

"Geez...you have no idea how much I want to do that. But I _can't_ because you're _drunk._"

She pushed me away playfully. "Then get your own boobies! 'Cause these babies are mine mine mine!"

Again, I started to laugh so hard that it hurt this time. "You're a crazy girl, you know that?"

Finally, we arrived at her apartment where I had to help her out of the cab and up the stairs to her apartment. Bella was leaning on me the whole time and if I had let go of her, she would've fallen on her ass.

At the door, she tossed her purse at me. "Key...in there..."

Once I got it open, I carried her bridal style and looked for her room. I found a pair of boxing gloves in one room and remembering that she took lessons, I assumed it was her bedroom.

I set her down gently on the bed and once again noted how beautiful she was. I wish I could lay down beside her and do the two things I currently want to do: fuck her and hold her in my arms.

Bella flipped over on her stomach and started to undo the collar of her dress, but she was struggling.

"What are you doing now?"

"My dress is sticky."

My brain told me not to watch her undress no matter how much my body wanted to.

"Alright. I'm leaving now..."

"Don't. Leave. I need help."

"I am _not_ taking your dress off."

"Silly Edward...I need my PJs."

Except I had no idea where her PJs were. I searched in her closet and found a worn out t-shirt and shorts. _Good enough._ I tossed them at her without turning around. After an eternity of her fumbling with her clothes, she said. "All done! Time for counting...sheep? No, it's horses...or ducks...duckies...I love duckies."

I didn't respond and after a couple of minutes, her steady breathing was the only sound in the room.

I walked to her bed and found that she was already fast asleep. As I pulled the covers over her and tucked her in, I said, "Sleep well, Bella." She didn't budge.

When I turned to go, she mumbled, "Stay Edward…"

I froze. _Did I hear her correctly? _

I crouched back down next to her.

"Do you talk in your sleep, beautiful?"

She really was.

_So _beautiful.

"Please," she whispered. "I want…"

I sat there waiting to hear what she wanted. But it never came.

Finally, she just said, "Sleep with me."

So many emotions flowed through my body and I was conflicted. If I stayed with her for the night, what would she say in the morning? She would be so furious. I can't imagine losing Bella's trust as a result of this.

But the way she looked at me made me knees buckle. It was earnest and sincere, like if I didn't stay with her for the night, her heart would break into pieces. Besides, I had to make sure that she'd be okay in the morning, not wake up in a pool of her own vomit.

Taking a huge risk, I took my shoes off and settled into her welcoming arms. Her sweet vanilla scent surrounded me. It was devilishly intoxicating.

I carefully stroked her hair and thought about what happened this past week with Bella. After the museum incident, I've been seeing her almost everyday. To be honest, I've been finding ways to see her more, like taking her out to lunch. But tonight, things have definitely changed. Her body was drunk, but that only meant that her heart was sober. I knew that she liked me as more than a friend.

But how did I really feel about her?

Still holding her in my arms, I slowly dozed off around 3 a.m. after much contemplation.

And this was something I could never tell her, but tonight was the first time I felt like I was in love.

* * *

**Gasp! What's going to happen now? Please leave a review ('cause they motivate me to write more!) and stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**Also, since Christmas is just around the corner, go check out my Edward/Bella Christmas one shot on my profile! It's called 'Mistletoe' and it's funny/adorable/festive as hell.**

**-Alexis**


	6. Chapter 6

**BPOV**

Yawning, I slowly opened my eyes and saw sunlight peeking through the window.

Not only was I beyond tired, but I had a huge throbbing headache. I tried not to focus on the pain as I closed my eyes again. I turned around and settled into warm arms. A sweet and rich smell enveloped me in this embrace. I snuggled closer into the comforting body.

_Wait a minute._

My eyes snapped open abruptly.

Edward's dark eyelashes were inches away from my face. Before I could count how many small freckles peppered his face, Edward opened his eyes as well and suddenly I was staring directly at his green eyes.

As quickly as possible, I pushed myself out of his arms.

"What the _hell_ are _you_ doing in my _bed_?" I panicked. "And where is _Alice_?"

I couldn't believe this. Edward Cullen, CEO and millionaire, was in my bed.

He sat up in wrinkled clothes and looked exhausted as I felt. "Calm down, Bella. Alice is probably spending the night at Jasper's. But I can explain."

Edward's voice was still thick and rough with sleep. Somehow, my inner teenage girl found that attractive.

I looked down at my own clothes: t-shirt and shorts. I don't remember putting these on. My voice rose higher. "Okay. All I remember is getting ready with Alice to go to the bar and now here I am, in my bed, in different clothes, with a total stranger!"

He leaned against the headboard of my bed and it took everything in me not to think about what happened last night. I'm not only pissed off because he was in my bed, but if we did have sex...I don't remember it. I've secretly imagined that sex with Edward would be mind blowing and I'll be damned if I don't remember any of it.

"A total stranger? That's really how you see me?" His question threw me back into reality.

I groaned. "Now is not the time to get all offended! Did you take me home?"

"Yes."

"Did you change my clothes?"

"I helped, but no, I didn't undress you."

I was terrified to ask the question that mattered most, but I forced the words out of my mouth. "Did we have...sex?" _Because if we did, I demand a repeat!_

He rolled his eyes. "Of course not."

Startled by his reply, I peered suspiciously at him. Edward tried to brush down his messy tangled hair before looking at me.

"Bella, hear me out. When I arrived at the bar last night, you were already drunk off your ass. You were taking too many shots and flirting with guys...that really threw me off guard...and pissed me off a bit." He took a deep breath. "You did, however, look sexy as hell. I couldn't keep my eyes off of you. Seriously, I couldn't. Alice left me in charge of watching you and I definitely understand why. You were crazy tired and the complete opposite of your usual reserved self."

My cheeks flamed up as embarrassment and shame sunk in. I knew how irresponsible and reckless I become whenever I drank too much, but I relied on Alice to make sure I don't screw around too much. Plus, she told me Edward wouldn't be at the bar...that sneaky little liar! I felt ashamed mostly because he had to see me like that.

Edward continued, ignoring my tomato red face. "You were completely unable to walk straight and couldn't think properly. I had to make sure you arrived home safely. After helping you get ready for bed, I was about to leave..."

"But what?" I urged.

He hesitated and that only raised my anxiety levels.

"But then you asked me to stay with you."

A brief pause.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I was surprised too, but really, you did ask me to stay. I also wanted to make sure you weren't too sick. Nothing happened."

He saw that I wasn't going to reply and clarified, "Isabella Swan, I would never take advantage of you."

Deciding to take a huge leap of faith, I said, "Alright. I believe you Edward Cullen. But, I need to know something else...did I say or do anything inappropriate last night? Around you, I mean."

Now it was his turn to be embarrassed. Edward's face turned bright red and he looked so perplexed that I knew I did something humiliating in front of him. I really didn't want to know, but deep down, I realized that I have to face the truth. I needed to know where our relationship stood.

"Edward, tell me," I commanded firmly. "Did I flash my breasts? Give you a lap dance? Throw up on your shoes?"

He avoided my eyes as I tried to guess what I did and only shook his head. Edward stayed quiet as if telling me would ruin our friendship.

"Well, you danced with me. Really impressive, I must add. When we both got in the cab, you started to straddle me and you were all over me. You even tried to take your clothes off. We didn't do anything; I forced myself to push you away. But then, you said you had feelings for me."

_Oh my god. Kill me now. _

I was speechless. I didn't know what to say and instead, hoped for a black hole to appear and swallow me up. I'd rather be anything but here, facing Edward as he just told me the most worse things that I have ever done.

He leaned forward on the bed. "Bella, please say something. I'm just as confused as you are."

I seriously doubted that. I haven't really thought about my feelings for Edward because I didn't want to, because I knew I didn't want to accept those feelings. It was better just be be enamored by his looks rather be emotionally invested in him. Like any girl who experienced a bad break up, I certainly did not want a repeat of the Mike fiasco.

As I struggled to come up with a decent response, the doorbell rang. _Thank god, I'm saved._

I hopped off my bed and tried to straighten out my shirt.

Pointing to Edward, I said, "Stay put. No one can see you until we get this sorted out. They might get the wrong idea."

He sat up straight and saluted me. "Aye aye captain."

I shut the door to my room to make sure he couldn't be seen. The doorbell rang one more time and when I opened it, there was Mike with a huge Cheshire cat smile.

My face immediately darken and I became instantly annoyed.

"Can I help you?"

"Just thought I'd swing by and see my favorite woman." _Okay, something definitely is up. _

"Well, here you are, standing in your douche bag glory," I snapped.

"Feisty. I've always liked that about you."

"Cut the crap, Mike."

He strutted past me and plopped down on the couch, more obnoxious than usual. I stood in front of him, arms folded.

"You've always been so serious, Isabella."

"You better tell me why you're here or I'll beat you like a punching bag."

Mike eyed me carefully. "I'm thinking we should get back together."

_Well, today has just been full of surprises._

"Where the hell did you get the idea that I would _date_ you again?"

"We were so good together, Bella."

I replied in a restrained tone, "We were. Before you decided to screw some chick in the bathroom."

He looked victimized. "That's really insulting of you to bring that up. I made a stupid mistake and you should just let it go."

"Seriously?! You want me to _let it go?!_ You fucking cheated on me and embarrassed me! I don't want to get back with you!"

Mike stood up quickly. "Please! We need each other."

I narrowed my eyes as him. "No. I don't need you. I don't need any man to make me happy. Besides, what happened to Jessica?"

"We weren't compatible for each other..." He answered evasively.

"You mean you cheated on her too."

Walking forward a little bit, he said, "Don't make me seem like the bad guy."

"You are though. I gave you very part of me and you threw it right back in my fucking face."

"Bells," he said his nickname for me softly, "I still love you."

My tough resolve broke. Once those words left his mouth, tears began to form at the corners of my eyes. My hands trembled and my voice shook as I said, "What do you know about love? Love is sacrificial, love is ferocious, it's not emotive. You don't love me, you only love the idea of love!"

Mike looked shocked. "Whoa. You're getting way too emotional about this."

I couldn't believe my ears.

"You have the audacity to come into my home and tell me you love me when you completely destroyed our relationship. If you can't even handle me at my worst, then you definitely don't deserve me at my best. Get out of my house and don't ever show your face again!"

Mike walked towards me and said, "Go out with me tonight." He reached out and tried to grab my hands. I snatched them back and said venomously, "Don't fucking touch me." Goosebumps appeared on my arms.

Suddenly, the door to my bedroom flew open. Edward stood in the frame of the door, gripping it tightly with both hands.

_Shit shit shit. I forgot he was in there._ But what really caught me off guard was his face.

He looked absolutely furious.

Edward looked powerful and commanding. His presence made the room very small and the air was filled with tension. In that moment, he really looked like an intimidating CEO.

"I believe that she told you get the fuck out of here or am I going to have to help you out myself?" His tone was violent and sent chills up my spine.

Mike looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Frightened of Edward, he slowly backed away to the door.

Edward walked swiftly over to the me and held me in his arms. "I'm sorry, I should have came out sooner. Did he hurt you at all?"

I started to cry and buried myself in his chest so he couldn't see. "No," I sniffled, "Not physically."

Edward glared at Mike. "_Get out._"

He opened the door, but before he left, Mike paused and said to me, "I don't know how much he's paying you to sleep with him, but I never thought you'd stoop so low. I was better for you, Bella."

Mike slammed the door shut and the sound echoed off the walls.

"I'm sorry you had to see that."

"He's a prick, Bella. Don't listen to him. You deserve so much better than him."

I knew that what Edward was saying was true, but Mike was always good at getting under my skin. After the incident with Mike and Jessica a few weeks ago, Edward and I have avoided talking about it. I didn't feel comfortable going down that memory lane and Edward understood because he never asked me about it. But, I guess there's no point in avoiding it. Edward knew more than he needed to know, which unnerved me. Not only was I confused about my feelings for him, but I had to deal with Mike trying to make my life worse.

I looked at Edward. "I really don't have much to say, since you know everything now."

"Bella, I understand that this is a sore spot for you, so I won't talk about it. I don't care about what happened in your past. I only care about you now and your future. In fact, I'm trying to figure out how I can be a part of your future. I know that asshole really hurt you and as cliche as this sounds, I would never hurt you in any way. You're a wonderful woman and you need to be treated with love and respect."

He held me closer and rested his head on mine. I was buried in his shirt and I shamelessly smelled him. He felt like home.

"You're right, you know. Love isn't just the fluttery flittery feeling. Love is more than just being happy; love requires all of the emotions, even the ugly ones. But in the end, the bad feelings don't even matter as long as you're with your soul mate."

Smiling through my tears, I replied, "Thank you, Edward. Thanks for everything. For taking me home safely, for not taking advantage of me, for defending me, and for your comforting words. You're a great person and I honestly am so lucky to be your friend."

"You know, for now, I'm content with us being friends. You need time to heal."

Much to his surprise, I hugged him tighter.

"Wow, I'm getting to see all of you, aren't I? Aggressive Bella, Drunk Bella, and Compassionate Bella. Is there anything else you wanna show me?"

I slapped his chest and then felt a sharp pain in my head. The room started to spin and Edward helped me to the couch.

Concerned, he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Uh...yeah...just a little dizzy and nauseous," I winced. "Hangover."

"Oh shit, that's right and that confrontation with Mike must have made you feel even more terrible." Edward went into my tiny kitchen and came back with a tall glass of water. "Here, drink all of this."

I drank it all in one gulp; I didn't realize how thirsty I was. "Thanks...but I still feel like complete crap."

"Lucky for you, I happen to be a specialist in hangover remedies. That actually _work_," he informed me.

I raised an eyebrow, challenging him.

"Emmett is a huge fan of two things: Rosalie and alcohol. Someone had to help him with his hangovers the next morning."

"And how did you achieve that?"

"Greasy food."

"Greasy food," I repeated, incredulous.

Edward nodded matter-of-factly. "You need those calories back in your body and it slows the absorption of alcohol."

I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Alright, you sound like you know what you're talking about."

He flashed me his crooked smile and stood up. "Stay here unless you have to go vomit. I'll get you some pain medications and cook you up a nice breakfast. Bacon, eggs, and hash browns sound good?"

My mouth started watering at the thought of food. "It sounds perfect."

"Oh and Bella? I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner tomorrow night?"

"Like an official date?"

He smirked. "If you want."

"That sounds perfect too."

* * *

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Honestly, I had to look up hangover remedies haha. Please leave a review with any thoughts, comments, or questions!**

**-Alexis**


	7. Chapter 7

**EPOV**

At exactly 7 PM, I rang Bella's doorbell, not remembering the last time I felt this anxious on a date. Bella wasn't just some girl I wanted to impress; she was the first girl that didn't deal with my bullshit. She was the first girl who decided to actually get to know me, not as Edward Cullen, the CEO, but just as Edward Cullen, the lovesick fool.

I heard footsteps move quickly on the other side and then the door opened.

One of her hands was on the doorknob while the other was putting on a black heel. The she stood straight up and breathed out a quiet, "Hi."

I couldn't even breathe at all.

She was too perfect.

She had on a simple white tank top that was tucked in and a silver shrunken blazer to cover up. But what really caught my attention was her little black miniskirt. Or rather what the miniskirt _revealed._

Beneath that piece of tight clothing was the longest pair of legs that I've ever laid eyes on. They were a nice creamy color and absolutely fucking gorgeous. I wanted to run my hands up and down her legs.

Bella has her dark hair in a low bun with a few rogue strands loose. She even put in the effort to apply makeup.

I gaped in amazement. "Hi. Can you pinch me? Because I cannot believe how great you look."

She blushed. "I can promise you this isn't a dream."

I suddenly became aware of the flowers in my hand. "Oh! Uh...I got you flowers. I hope you like tulips."

"I _love _tulips. Thank you."

As she went to go put them in a vase, I waited patiently, mentally rehearsing my lines.

After we stepped outside, I said to her, "I hope you don't mind going over to Rosalie and Emmett's for dinner. It's just that she's almost ready to give birth so she really wants all of us to get together before their hands are full with the busy. I know this isn't how you pictured our first-"

Bella silence my by putting her finger to my lips. I wish she'd put her _lip__s _to my lips instead.

"It's fine Edward. I don't mind being with your friends and family."

"I'll make it a memorable night," I promised, grateful that she wasn't too picky about dates.

"I don't doubt that at all."

* * *

By the time we arrived at their house, I really wanted to kiss Bella. We had our usual banter in the car ride, but it was different this time. I figured it was probably because we were on a date, that she willingly chose to be with me, and that she dressed up just for me. But, I realized it was just _her_. She affected me like no other person has before.

Besides, having Bella in my small car was also doing crazy things to my mind. Her sweet vanilla scent was _everywhere. _All my senses were fully aware of her.

I had to kiss her tonight.

As we both got out of the car and made our way to the front door, Emmett sprinted out with heavy bags on his shoulders. He was panicking and looked like he had just seen a ghost.

He ran around in circles. Bella and I shared a glance that said he was possibly insane now.

"Fuck fuck fuck! It's happening everyone! It's happening!"

"What's going on?" I asked.

"My wife is fucking going into labor! Like right _now!_ We gotta get to the hospital!"

Bella's head snapped to me. "You help him load up! I'll go check on Rosalie."

Emmett snatched the car keys right out of my hand and dumped his bags in my trunk.

"Dude, that's my car!"

"Dude, I don't care! I'm about to be a father!"

Before I had a chance to respond, Bella called out, "Edward! Help!"

Bella was trying to guide Rosalie to the car. She was bent over and limping, but Rosalie held her stomach protectively.

I rushed over to Rosalie's other side to support her. "It's okay, Rose. Slow and steady breaths."

She whispered, "I'm trying."

For a split second, my mind flashed to an image of Bella: pregnant, weak, carrying our child. I pushed that image away, surprised that the thought even occurred to me.

We both helped Rosalie into the back of my car, where she immediately leaned back in her seat. Emmett hopped into the front seat and said, "Rose, you'll be okay. I know you're strong enough to take on anything."

Rosalie smiled, but it was clearly forced and pained.

"I'm a little afraid of our baby though," he continued.

"Why?"

"What if they turn out to be ugly? Or an alien baby? Or an _ugly alien baby_?" Emmett joked. I could see that he was trying to make her feel better.

This time she smiled fully. "Emmett, you are such an idiot."

"Don't forget. I'm _your_ idiot."

Bella held onto Rosalie's hand tightly. "He's right. You'll be okay. Just relax and I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thank you, Bella. You too, Edward."

"No problem. Good luck."

Emmett interrupted our farewells. "All right people, let's get a move on! One possibly alien baby delivery coming right up!" With those words, he floored the gas and sped off down the road.

"That's nice of you to let him borrow your car, but how are we going to get to the hospital?" Bella inquired.

I thought about it and then a brilliant idea struck me.

"Wait here," I said eagerly as I ran into Emmett's house.

* * *

"No."

"Why not?"

"That is a death trap on wheels."

"Not if you're careful."

"I'm wearing a freaking miniskirt! There's no way I can spread my legs on that."

_Yes...spread your legs..._

_No! Edward, be a fucking gentleman!_

"You can sit with both your legs on one side then."

"I don't trust you."

"Do you want to see the baby or not?"

Bella pouted. "Fine."

Smiling in victory, I tossed her a helmet. I swung a leg over the sleek Ducati 848; it was the best and fastest one in Emmett's garage.

She stood there, staring at me. "You look hot."

Now it was my turn to blush, but I tried to laugh it off. "Thank you, I guess?"

"Crap, did I say that out loud?"

"Yes, but it's okay. I get that a lot." I winked.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Grow up, Edward."

"Shut up and hop on, Bella." I revved the engine as she adjusted in her seat. "Hold on tight."

Her petite arms tentatively snaked around my waist and stopped at the front of my stomach. Bella leaned her head on my back. I was glad that she couldn't see the huge goofy-looking grin on my face.

I quickly rode down the road and as we approached a bump, I accelerated even harder. Bella abruptly tightened her grip around my stomach.

_Yup, this goofy grin just got bigger._

* * *

When we arrived at the hospital, Bella hopped off the motorcycle right away, looking relieved.

"That wasn't so bad," I said. "We're still alive, aren't we?"

"Barely! You were driving like a bat out of hell!"

"That's kind of what the it's made for. It's a lightweight, high-powered street bike designed to out-accelerate and outmaneuver all things automotive."

She scoffed. "That doesn't mean I should holding onto you for dear life."

To be perfectly honest, I drove faster than usual because of her. I secretly enjoyed having her arms wrapped tightly around me. It felt like she needed me, like I could protect her. Also, I just liked being in contact with her. I was addicted to Bella and she had no idea what effect she had on me.

Our dinner date may not have gone as planned, but I was going to make the most of tonight. I've waited too long to hesitate.

Once the receptionist told us where Rosalie's room was, we entered the elevator.

"I'm really sorry this isn't going how you expected..." I apologized to her. Even though I was having a great time, I didn't know how she felt.

"It's not. But that doesn't mean it's awful."

"Care to clarify?"

"Well, I mean, we're in a hospital elevator on to way to see our best friends' first born baby. And even though that motorcycle was a death ride, it was still thrilling. Besides, I'm with you and that's all I really need. Best first date _ever_."

Bella smiled at me and it was a full smile, genuine and beautiful. I thought of a quote from one of my favorite writers: _that smile could end wars and cure cancer._ When I first heard of it, I thought it was completely absurd. What smile could be that powerful? But now, looking at Bella's face, I understood.

I grinned back at her and confidently took in hand in mine as the elevator door opened.

We found Rosalie's room, but the door was shut and there was an obvious commotion on the other side. Bella and I waited outside for about 30 minutes while doctors and nurses rush in and out of the room. I tried to ignore Rosalie's painful screams. I can only imagine how Emmett must feel right now. I looked at Bella and she was nervously chewing her lip.

Finally, the yelling stopped and I heard the faint cry of a baby.

A couple of minutes passed before the doctors and nurses left. They told us it was okay to see them now.

We quietly entered the room.

"Hey! Look who finally made it!" Emmett exclaimed. He was sitting right next to Rosalie on the hospital bed. She was cradling the baby in her arms; the baby was wrapped tightly in a pink blanket.

"I would've been here sooner if you didn't jack my car," I retorted.

"My apologies, brother."

Bella immediately rushed to Rose's side to get a glimpse at the baby. "Oh my god, she's so beautiful. She looks exactly like you!"

"It's too bad she didn't get any of her father's good looking genes," Emmett added.

Rosalie explained, "He really wanted a boy...but I can tell our sweet little darling will have him wrapped around her finger."

"What's her name?" Bella asked. I could see the awe in her eyes. _Did she wanted to have children someday?_

"Clara. It means light since she has already brought so much light into our lives," Rosalie said, looking adoringly at Emmett.

Emmett pecked her lips. "That's right...Clara's definitely gonna give us hell, but she'll be my number one princess."

Even though Rosalie had been through the most pain, Emmett looked equally tired as her. This was the first time that I've seen him look so serious.

"Can I hold her?" Bella asked.

Rosalie carefully handed her over and Bella expertly held her delicate body. One was supporting the head while the other cradled Clara's body. Bella peered down at Clara's face and started to dote and adore her.

"Aww...aren't you a sweet little girl? So good and well behaved...you're just so adorable...I don't think I could put you down, Clara," she cooed.

I made a big mistake by watching them. A _huge_ mistake.

The sight nearly brought me to my knees.

Because for the second time that day, another image of motherly Bella popped into my head. Instead of holding Rosalie and Emmett's child, I imagine that she's holding _our_ child and that she's the one sitting on the hospital bed and that I'm right next to her, watching the two loves of my life with watery eyes.

The idea of being a father never really appealed to me...until tonight. Until I had to chance to witness Bella in maternal mode. And god, I wanted to have a family with her. I can't even deny that anymore. My feelings for her were too strong and even though we weren't dating yet, I knew. I knew she was the one I wanted to spend my life with.

After being offered to hold Clara, I refused, afraid I might drop her, but mostly afraid of the fatherly thoughts fogging up my mind. It was way too soon for this. Way too soon.

* * *

The ride back to Bella's house was quiet and undisturbed. I was too lost in my thoughts to go unbelievably fast down the streets. Instead, I went at a steady pace, enjoying the night's cool air. Bella's arms were once again wrapped around my waist and her head was resting on my place. Every now and then, I would feel her take a deep breath. She was enjoying this too.

Finally, I parked the bike in her driveway and I held her hand as we walked to the front door.

Bella hesitated by the door. "Do...do you want to come in?"

She saw the surprised look on my face and quickly added, "I mean, I could order us some food! Since we didn't have to chance to eat dinner...if you want."

I ruffled her hair. "Yes, I would like that."

Once we were inside, I sat down on the couch while she ordered a pizza.

She took a seat next to me and looked like she was deep in thought.

"Look, I know I already apologized, but I'm sorry again for screwing up our first date."

"No! No, it's okay really!" Bella assured me. "You promised me a memorable date and it's been great. But...if you really feel guilty, maybe we can go out on another date?"

I chuckled. "How many dates is it gonna take for us to get it right?"

Bella twisted her hands nervously. "I don't know about you, but I'm willing to go on as many dates as it takes.

"So willing?" I teased. "I swore you hated me 24 hours ago."

I purposely didn't mention the incident with Mike because I knew it would only hurt her more. Besides, that asshole really infuriated me. I nearly lost my temper yesterday and would've given him a good punch in the face if Bella wasn't there. The only good thing that came out of that was Bella's increased trust in me and her trust wasn't something I wanted to lose.

"I _do_ hate you. But it's just easy hate you when we're on dates," she teased back, giving my shoulder a light shove. She was in such high spirits, even after what happened lately, but I wasn't complaining. Her happiness was contagious.

"Hmmm...I don't know. I have to take a look at my extremely busy schedule and see if I can make a few appointments with you," I said jokingly, channeling my inner CEO.

"Speaking of which, how's Cullen Constructions going? Rosalie told me you guys are busy nowadays."

I ran my hand through my hair, something I did when I was stressed out.

Although spending my time with Bella has really made my life better, work was still a priority and right now, we've been busier than ever. Now that it was officially spring, the company has been getting insane orders since it's the most popular time of the year for construction. The weather was appropriate and nicer for outside work. People wanted nice new buildings and houses to show off in the summertime.

"Yeah...we're hard at work, but that only means a lot of revenue is coming through."

"But it's really pushing you to the limit," Bella observed. "Even though you put on a calm and collected face, I can tell."

I laughed humorlessly. "So? It doesn't matter how I feel. Carlisle left me in charge of the company and it's my responsibility to get things done accurately and efficiently. Besides, with Emmett being a father now, I have to take over his work too."

Bella looked concerned. "That's not really fair to you though...you're in your twenties! You should be enjoying your life, not working your ass off."

A wave of gratitude washed over me as I realized how much she really cared about my well-being. No one, not even my family, has ever been worried about me working too hard. I know they were proud of me and that was why they wanted me to run the company. But they didn't understand how time consuming it was and how much effort it took.

I took her hands in mine. "Bella, I _am_ enjoying life and it's because of _you_. I know we got off on a bad start when we met, but the more I got to know you, the more I wanted to be with you. You are the reason I wake up everyday with a smile on my face. You're amazing, beautiful, intelligent, funny, and sassy as hell and I'm so-"

"Edward, please shut up," Bella interrupted.

Then out of nowhere, Bella grabbed me by the shirt and pressed her lips firmly to mine.

Her lips. On mine.

_Holy. Fucking. Hell. _

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please leave a review!**

**Also, I posted a new one shot on my profile! It's called "Love I've Found in You."**

**Here's the summary for it: **_"There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment." This is simply a story of true love at its purest. Bella reflects on the most important and heartwarming parts of her relationship with Edward throughout the years. _

**Trust me...you're gonna want to read it. I would say it's a cute romantic tearjerker. Check it out 'cause you won't regret it!**

**-Alexis**


	8. Chapter 8

**BPOV**

Oh my God.

I was finally kissing Edward Cullen.

At 24 years old, I should have reacted maturely to this. Instead, I decided to channel my inner teenage girl because I was kissing _Edward Cullen._

And it felt fucking amazing.

He felt fucking amazing.

Unable to contain myself, I moved my lips passionately against his. His lips were soft, but our kiss was anything but gentle. After wasting so much time playing cat-and-mouse, we kissed with an urgency and I was afraid that he might vanish.

Edward's hands found their way to my hair and he lightly tugged my head back so he could get better access to my lips.

I was starting to run out of breath when his tongue slowly slide along my bottom lip. I mindlessly opened my mouth for a quick intake of breath. He look it as a sign to plunge his tongue into my mouth. My hands started to tremble and I held onto his shirt.

I let him explored my mouth before I tentatively slipped my tongue through his parted lips. A low moan that escaped his mouth gave me enough courage to straddle him. Edward was already hard and the fact that I turned him on turned _me_ on even more.

Attacking his lips, I couldn't help but grind on his lap which made him moan even louder. His hands moved to the front of my shirt where he palmed and squeezed my breasts. My thoughts were becoming hazy and all I wanted was to be closer to him. I needed more. So much _more_.

Edward and I were lost in our steamy make out session when the door abruptly opened.

Alice and Jasper were standing in the doorway with 'deer-caught-in-headlights' looks.

I quickly scrambled off of Edward's lap.

"Shit, I thought you were still on your date, Alice."

A grin formed on her face as she comprehended everything. "We were. And then we decided to come back here to...you know...do what you guys were doing. Except better, of course."

I made a sound of disgust. I crinkled my nose. _Has she and Jasper been doing the dirty deed whenever I'm not at home? _I don't mind their being sexually active, but they had better not be doing on things that I use...like the dinner table or the kitchen counter or this couch I'm sitting on.

At that thought, I immediately stood up. "Uh sorry...if I had known that I wouldn't have come home."

Alice scoffed. "Psssh, it's totally okay! I'm glad you guys are getting that sexual tension out. Please feel free to resume sucking each other's faces off."

Edward and I exchanged an awkward look.

Jasper cleared his throat. "Well, I for one really want to some privacy with Alice, so thanks for ruining that. And now I have to wash my eyes out with bleach."

With that, he sulked bitterly out of the house.

"Sorry we intruded on your sexy times, Alice?" My apology sounded more like a question.

She smiled as if walking in on Edward and I making out like thirsty horndogs wasn't traumatizing at all.

"I seriously don't mind!" Alice pranced over to Edward and gave him a high five. "You have noooo idea how long I've waited for a man to spice up Bella's love life! Like for real, I've been waiting for years."

"That's enough, Alice," I warned.

But she continued on rambling. "But Bella just doesn't seem interested in any guys, no matter how many showed up at her door..."

"Alice..." I growled.

"I was beginning to worry that she might be a lesbian, but then you swooped in like Prince fucking Charming and kissed the hell out of her in that museum."

"Alice! That's enough! Please leave," I yelled at her. Edward looked thoroughly amused and I wanted to smack that smile off his face. My poor relationship history was not something I found funny.

She pouted, but started to walk towards the door. "I'm sorry, Bella...it's just that you're growing up so fast! Soon, you'll have to leave the nest to go with be with your hot piece of man candy and I'll be stuck here all alone with Jasper and he'll want to have sex nonstop."

I stared at her coldly. She can be so embarrassing sometimes. Well actually, all the time.

"Goodbye Alice."

"Bye Bellaboo! You kids be careful now. Use protection!" And then she was gone.

I looked at Edward, fully expecting that he's going to get the hell out of my house and never talk to me again. But as always, he did the unexpected, he started laughing uncontrollably.

Even though I was glad he wasn't freaked out, I wanted to be mad at him for laughing at my humiliating expense. However, I couldn't help that the corners of my mouth involuntarily turned up into a smile.

Edward continued to chuckle and roll on his sides despite my useless glaring at him. I decided to straighten out my clothes and fix my hair before retreating to my bedroom.

Edward immediately stopped. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to stand in the way of your making fun of my sex life."

He got up from the couch and reached for my arms. "Hey...I wasn't laughing at your sex life; I was laughing at Alice because she's just like Emmett. Believe it or not, he has a fascination with my sex life too or rather, the lack of one."

"Really? I figured a young sexy millionaire like you would have women lining up at your door, begging you to _please oh please bang the hell out of me,_" I mocked bitterly.

I frowned at the thought. I never really asked Edward how many women he's been with.

"Well...they do. But that doesn't mean I do."

"And why not? Isn't that every man's dream?"

"I'm not as sleazy as you may think, Bella. I think my last serious relationship was in high school and I've been too busy with work to start dating again...until I met you, of course."

"And what changed your mind?"

Edward leaned in closer and whispered, "I don't know if you realize this, but my type are brunettes who randomly make out with me at museums."

"Hey, you could have pushed me away," I defended myself.

"But I didn't."

I smiled. "But you didn't."

He leaned in even closer so our noses were touching. "I'm glad I didn't."

Then he took my breath away by kissing me once more.

* * *

Ever since our first date, Edward and I were inseparable. We tried to spend a majority of our time together, which, to be honest, wasn't enough time to satisfy me. However, I couldn't blame him for being so occupied and busy with work.

We've been seeing each other for a few weeks now and I've gotten to learn so much more about him, including his work.

The more he told me, the more I felt sorry for him. As a school teacher, I simply needed to make sure all the little kids aren't wetting themselves and are playing well with others. As a CEO, Edward needed to make sure all the hot-shot clients aren't trying to sue the company and are pleased with the work.

So instead of using my spare time to miss Edward when he's not around, I usually lend Rosalie and Emmett a helping hand with the new baby.

As a matter of fact, I was so helpful that I accidentally volunteered to babysit Clara so they could have a day to themselves. Except the problem was that it was one of those rare days where Edward _didn't_ have to work.

"You're telling me that we're spending our whole day together taking care of a _baby_?"

I cringed. "Yes...it's just that Rosalie and Emmett really need a break."

He mumbled, "So do I, Bella."

I began to feel ashamed of myself..._of course_ Edward also needed a break from his job. I was suppose to make him feel better, but instead we're both stuck with a baby that needs constant care and attention.

I was about to tell Edward that he could go home and rest instead, that I didn't mind taking care of Clara by myself, but he spoke first.

"You know what? Never mind. I can help you take care of her." There was no hint of irritation in his voice anymore; it was genuine.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I know this isn't exactly a fun way of spending time together."

"As long as I'm with you, I don't care what we're doing."

And just like that, Edward managed to make the butterflies in my stomach go crazy.

* * *

Right after Rosalie and Emmett pulled out of the driveway for their date, Clara started bawling.

She was in her playpen, lying on her stomach. Her face was red and wet with tears already.

_This is gonna be a long day._

I turned to Edward, who was sitting on the couch, for some assistance.

"Hey, don't look at me. I agreed to babysit because it was with you, but that doesn't mean I'm actually good at it."

"Some help you are," I complained.

"Fine," he groaned.

Edward walked over to the playpen and was about to pick Clara up when I suddenly yelled, "Wait, stop!" This only made her cry harder.

"_What?_"

"I just remembered! You can't pick her up! I read in some parenting book that babies need to learn how to self-sooth."

"Self-sooth? Bella, she's just a baby; she knows nothing!"

I shushed him. "We can't always be there for her."

So we both stood in front of her, waiting for her to stop crying, but she never did. Her screaming was getting a little out of hand now.

Edward shot me a '_now what?_' look.

Clasping my hands together, I said, "You know, maybe she's just hungry. We'll find something for her in the kitchen."

I picked Clara up and headed straight for the kitchen with Edward on my tail.

"I thought we weren't picking her up!"

* * *

I stared deeply into Clara's baby blue eyes, pleading with her for the hundredth time.

"Baby girl, I am _begging_ you, please just eat this. I swear it's good!"

I even tried a spoonful of the food just to prove my point. _Yuck. Actually it's not that great._

Yet she turned her head away from the spoon, frustrating me even more. I pushed it into her mouth, but she only spit it out back out.

Finally I just threw the spoon down. Edward was staring at me, looking extremely entertained.

"I give up!" I shouted. "She won't eat anything I make her, and I've tried various baby foods and blending fruits and veggies together in a smoothie. She's being way too difficult about this."

He brought me closer to his chest. "Just feed her something simple. I think Rosalie left some bottles of her breast milk in the fridge."

"She needs something more healthy and with more flavor," I argued.

"Bella, sweetie, she's just a baby, not a world famous chef." And to prove his point, Edward grabbed a bottle from the fridge, lifted Clara easily into his arms, and started feeding her.

Clara was absolutely quiet and satisfied. She closed her eyes and started to drain the bottle like she hadn't drank anything in days.

"See? I told you," Edward said with a smug grin.

I only shook my head, secretly too busy enjoying the image of Edward acting fatherly.

* * *

After Clara went through another bottle of milk, she was thankfully no longer crying.

We moved into the living room where Edward and I sat on the couch and watched her as she clumsily crawled about on the carpet.

"You know, this isn't actually that bad," Edward said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was afraid that she'd be crying the whole time, but all she needed was a bottle of milk. She's gonna play around for bit and then fall asleep..." Edward snuggled closer into my side. "And that means we'll have the whole night to ourselves..."

Immediately catching on, I licked my bottom lip and his dark green eyes focused on my mouth. We leaned in closer until our lips touched and kissed slowly. He backed away from my lips and started to kiss up my jaw and down my neck. His soft kisses were peppering my neck and simply driving me insane. I could never get sick of his perfect kissing expertise.

But, out of nowhere, Clara started bawling again. We both groaned and turned to see what she needed. Her face was strangely bright red and she looked really uncomfortable.

Edward backed out of my embrace.

"Uh oh," he said.

"What? Is she hurt?" I asked, panicked.

"Nope. That's her shit face," he replied solemnly.

"Shit face?"

"Yeah. As in she's taking a shit right now. Emmett warned me about this."

I grimaced. "It seems like it's pretty painful for her."

"Oh yeah. It's a big one." Edward pushed me towards her. "You go change her!"

"What? Why me?" I argued.

Edward scoffed. "Because you're the girl."

"Okay, that is some sexist bullshit. You go change her," I said firmly.

"Ugh fine."

Edward reluctantly picked Clara up and soothed her as we marched upstairs to the nursery.

He set her down on the changing table and just stared at her while hot tears still rolled down her cheeks.

I nudged him. "Um, are you gonna do it or what?"

"I know you think I'm good at everything I do, but I have a confession to make. I've never changed a diaper."

I laughed. "It's literally so easy. Just take it off, wipe her bottom clean, and put a new diaper on."

But Edward gulped. "It's gonna smell so bad. I might puke."

"Woman up, Cullen. If you can handle financial errors in your accounting book, you can handle a goddamn diaper."

At last he proceeded to take off her diaper and I immediately regretted coming into the room with him. Edward and I both gagged and leaned away from Clara.

"Oh god..." I covered my nose. "Is it even suppose to be that color?"

"Bella, I think I might faint...Jesus Christ, my eyes are watering."

I handed him a wipe. "Just hurry up and clean her!"

After watching over his shoulder as his hand worked quickly, he said, "More wipes!" And just like a doctor's assistant, I obeyed.

"Alright, baby powder!"

I reached for that and handed it to him. Edward proceeded to dump a ton of powder onto Clara's bottom.

"Ummm I think that's enough..."

"It's clearly not enough if I can still smell her shit."

After adding more powder, he demanded a diaper.

However, Clara started to frown again. "Oh no. Edward, she's making the face again!"

"How about we just give her a shower this time?"

* * *

"Bella, what the hell is taking you so long?!"

I desperately fumbled with the shower handles. "Sorry! You know how difficult it is to work showers in other peoples' homes!"

"Well, Clara is throwing a huge fit right now!" Edward yelled back.

Thankfully, water started to come out of the shower head. I detached it from the wall and holding the hose in my head, I motioned for Edward to get in the tub.

"It'll be easier this way, trust me," I explained. "Just hold her out and I'll spray her."

"What if I drop her? The soap's slippery!" Edward panicked.

"Get a grip, man! Now, hold her out already!"

It wasn't long until both Clara _and_ Edward were soaking wet with water. She was all giggly and happy again whereas Edward tried to be pissed at me.

"Seriously, Swan? This is one of my nicest shirts, and now you've completely and utterly destroyed it."

"_Completely and utterly destroyed it_," I mocked him. "Jesus Christ, you sound like such a prissy wimp."

"Wow. Thank you for that confidence booster. I'm really glad that I'm emotionally invested in you."

I started to wipe Clara with a towel. "As you should be. I'm absolutely amazing."

"And always so humble too," he mumbled.

After I finished the surprisingly easy task of dressing Clara in a cute pink onesie, I turned around to find Edward shirtless.

I'm not gonna lie, there was probably drool dripping out of my mouth.

Because good God, did he look hot as hell. Like if I wasn't holding Clara, I'd jump him right now.

Except I _was_ unfortunately holding her, so all I could do was stand back and marvel in this masterpiece. Clara wiggled in my arms and tried to grab my hair, oblivious to my paralyzed body.

Edward smirked. "See something you like?"

I blushed. "Put a goddamn shirt on!"

"I can't; it's wet. Which I must mention was _your_ fault."

I regret spraying him now. But I ogled his abs, adorned with drops of water from the shower.

Actually. Nope. I don't regret it.

* * *

Once Clara was finally asleep, I went back downstairs, where Edward was _still_ shirtless on the couch. I plopped down besides him, trying to focus on the show, but his presence was hard to avoid. Even more than usual.

This was becoming a huge problem.

"You know, I can search through Emmett's stuff. I'm sure he has a shirt somewhere," I offered.

"Why? Is my hot bod too much for you to handle now?" _That smug bastard._

"No...it would be like me running around with no shirt on, flashing my breasts. Very inappropriate and distracting."

Edward smiled wickedly. "Well, I wouldn't mind _that_ distraction at all." He pulled me closer.

I scoffed. "I don't think we're at that relationship stage where you get all access to my boobs."

"Relationship? Is that what we have going on here?" He teased.

"Well, what else do you think we were doing? Just babysitting for fun?"

He chuckled, eyes lighting up. "But there's only one problem..."

"And that is?"

"You never asked me to be your boyfriend."

The way he said _boyfriend_ make my heart sing. We never officially established our relationship, but damn straight he was my boyfriend.

He gazed at me waiting and I pushed his shoulder. "Edward..."

"I've been the one pushing this whole thing along and dropping hints, so it's kind of nice to see that you're trying too. Let me have my moment, Bella."

"Be my fucking boyfriend."

He palmed my cheek, his thumb brushing my bottom lip. "Ask nicer, Bella."

Rolling my eyes, I complied, "Fine. _Please_ be my fucking boyfriend."

Despite my attitude, Edward grinned. "Okay."

He pressed his soft lips to mine. But I pulled away.

"Whoa there. Now it's your turn. Ask me to be your girlfriend," I commanded seriously.

He laughed. "Sweetheart, that's kind of implied when you asked me to be your boyfriend."

"I don't care. I want to hear you say it."

"Be my girlfriend, Bella."

His green eyes looked deeply into mine and I suddenly felt very nauseous. Not in a bad way, but in a sentimental way. Like in a wow-I-have-so-many-feelings-for-this-idiot-it's-kinda-scary way.

To stop myself from turning into a puddle of emotional goop, I said, "Fine. But only 'cause you're so hot."

Edward's eyes gleamed and he murmured, "Crazy girl," before his lips met mine again.

* * *

I left Rosalie and Emmett's house later that night. After a long goodbye session outside my front door, Edward left after making me promise to visit him tomorrow at work.

"Maybe we can squeeze in a hot steamy make out session on that nice desk of mine," he had whispered into my ear.

I entered the dark house, still blushing from his words when I found Jasper sitting at the kitchen counter with a beer in one hand. Seeing Jasper in my house wasn't weird anymore since he's always with Alice. Except he was alone tonight and clearly deep in thought.

"Hey Jas. Where's Alice?"

He nodded towards her bedroom. "Getting her beauty sleep."

I sat down quietly next to him. "And shouldn't you be with her?"

He took swing of his drink. "Couldn't sleep. Guess I have a bit of insomnia."

"Or are you guys having problems?" I persisted.

I really hoped they didn't have a huge fight or broke up. I know Alice can be quick-tempered and impulsive sometimes, but Jasper has been so patient and understanding with her. He's treated her way better than any of her ex-lovers.

"Nah Bella, it's not that. We're doing great; better than ever."

He stayed silent for a moment, then spoke again with utmost sincerity, "I'm just crazy in love with her."

"Then why the sad face?"

Jasper peered at me with his blue eyes, full of uncertainty. "It _scares_ me. It scares me how much I love her and what I would do for her."

"Jasper," I said softly, "don't worry. Trust me, she loves you just as much. You guys are practically soul mates and I think you're the best match for her. Don't worry about screwing up. That's just a part of life. "

My words seemed to have helped because his face brightened up more, however, he still was thinking.

"Do you mean every word?" He asked at last.

"Yes, I do. Now are you gonna tell me what all this is about?"

Jasper tapped his foot against the floor and nervously messed with his hands.

"I want to marry Alice."

* * *

**I posted a new one shot on my profile! It's called "Love I've Found in You."**

**Summary: **_"There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment." This is simply a story of true love at its purest. Bella reflects on the most important and heartwarming parts of her relationship with Edward throughout the years._

**And of course, thanks for reading and please leave a review!**

**-Alexis**


	9. Chapter 9

**EPOV**

"Do you think it's a good idea?" Bella asked, pacing back and forth.

I leaned back against my desk, admiring her long legs as she strode around my office. Even though I tried to distract her by lifting her onto my desk and kissing her, Bella was too occupied with Alice and Jasper. She immediately jumped off and proceeded to what I thought. I began to realize that this was a serious concern of hers and I tried my best to appease her worries.

"For the hundredth time, yes, I think it's a good idea."

"But are you sure Jasper knows what he wants?"

"Jasper is one of the most decisive people I know. Besides it's not our choice, it's theirs."

Bella paused and took a deep breath, looking defeated. "I know." She walked over to my side.

I put my arm around her and rubbed her shoulder. "I get it. She's your best friend and you're concerned about her future."

"Jasper is great. Really, he's perfect for her, but isn't it too soon? They haven't know each other that long."

When Jasper had informed me of his intentions for marriage this morning, that was the first thought that crossed my mind. But the more he explained his love for Alice, the more I understood.

"You know, with love, I don't think the _time_ that they've been together matters. What matters is how they make each other _feel_ when they're together. Quality over quantity, right?" I said.

"_But,_" Bella repeated, "how does he know that he wants to spend his whole life with her? They're still young."

"So?" I asked. "Marriage isn't about being tied down and missing out on experiences. It's about having experiences with your special someone."

I don't know why I was suddenly defended the idea of marriage since the idea had never appealed to me. But for some reason, I wanted to prove to Bella that marriage was possible for anyone as long as they were truly in love.

"I guess you're right...sorry it's just that my parents kinda ruined the whole getting-married-and-living-happily-ever-after thing."

"Oh. Right. The mom who goes to Vegas," I recalled.

Bella never really mentioned her parents after we built the tree houses and I didn't want to push her on the touchy subject. It seemed like she had a lot of depressing experiences that I didn't know about. But I wanted to know. I want to learn more about her, the good and the bad. I was very lucky to have Carlisle and Esme. Hell, I was even lucky to have that jackass of a brother, Emmett. Bella was an only child, all alone.

_No. I'd make sure that she would never be alone again._

"I know my parents shouldn't influence my view on marriage, but they divorced when I was young. It kind of affected my whole life..." Bella's voice faded off.

I didn't know what to say because she had a point and I couldn't change her view on marriage.

It wasn't like I wanted to marry her someday..._right?_

"Bella, it's not like you're getting married. This is up to Alice and I can promise you that she'd be in great hands."

I desperately wanted to convince her that love would win in the end, but I couldn't. It'd be too suspicious, considering I didn't even know how I felt about her. I needed to figure that out first to avoid any heartbreak.

Standing in front of her, I pressed her back against my desk. Her hair was held back in a high ponytail so her creamy white neck was exposed to me. I placed my hands on her thighs and lifted her off on the desk where objects were pushed out of the way.

Bella tried to suppress her grin. "Whatcha doing?"

I placed soft kisses on her neck. "Trying to make my lovely lady feel better," I said. "Since I have only ten minutes, let's make the most of this."

Immediately she wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me closer and driving me insane.

"Ten minutes until what?" She moaned out.

"Until I have to help plan a proposal."

* * *

Jasper entrusted me and Emmett to help him with the proposal and honestly, it was taking longer than it should have. Having Emmett also didn't really make things progress.

But after long consecutive meetings, Jasper finally picked a simple solution. He was going to propose to Alice at the museum where they first met. Which also happened to be where Bella and I first met. And made out hardcore against the wall.

I kind of wanted to do that again. _No. It's Jasper's big day...but maybe Bella and I can sneak off for a while..._

While I was fine with the basic proposal, Emmett, on the other hand was upset with how unoriginal it was.

"Like seriously dude," he began. "You only propose once-hopefully_ once-_in your entire life, and you're not even gonna do all out with this thing?"

Jasper shrugged. "I figured simpleness would work best in this situation."

"Simpleness? With Alice? The girl who randomly makes sparkly tutus to wear? The girl who threw all your towels up on the roof while you were in the shower because you said you hated the color yellow?"

I chuckled at the memory of Jasper begging her to bring him a towel because it was getting too cold. She didn't until he admitted that he liked yellow. Bella can be pretty stubborn at times, but she was nothing compared to Alice.

"Okay yeah she can be a little insane, but I only love her more for that. Besides, Alice knows I like to keep things uncomplicated," Jasper replied.

"You mean boring," Emmett said.

"Emmett, I don't think you're in any position to plan a proposal," I interrupted. "You almost drunkenly married Rosalie in Vegas."

"Pssssssh! So? Just 'cause I had one dumbass moment doesn't mean I can't impress my woman."

"Actually, you've had _a lot_ of dumbass moments," I pointed out.

"_Whatever._ Point is I can show Rosalie a good time."

"Like...?"

He clapped his hands together. "Like our first date! I told her take her on a date that unlike any other she'd ever been on and so I took her to a supermarket to watch the lobsters fighting in the lobster tank. And boom! Now we're married."

"That date wasn't a dumbass moment?"

"Nope," Emmett replied with a grin. "And afterwards, we went back to my place and-"

"That's enough," I cut him off. "Spare us the graphic details."

"As enlightening as that story was Em, I'm doing this my way," Jasper said.

"By taking her to the museum and asking her, I know. Real creative."

I suddenly thought about Bella and, if it was possible, how I'd propose to her. For a slight moment, I panicked, realizing how difficult it'd be to come up with a proposal worthy of her.

But I shook the thought off. That wouldn't be happening anytime soon. Plus, after her freak out about Alice and Jasper, and her parents' divorce, I was sure marriage was the last thing she wanted.

"Ah, but you didn't let me explain the _whole_ plan. It's where the proposal takes place that matters," Jasper said cryptically. "If you guys remember correctly, after we tracked down Bella in the coffee shop, Alice saw the rest of the exhibit with me. And then something special happened."

Emmett and I both sat forward in our seats and said, "What?"

Jasper was never one to talk about his personal life, but whenever he did, it was always an interesting story.

"Well, the last thing we looked at was a maze behind the museum. It was a smaller replica of a Shakespearean maze in Verona, Italy."

"Shakespeare? That's not cliche at all," Emmett sarcastically commented.

I elbowed him in the ribs and in return, he flipped me off.

"Anyway, this maze had statues of Shakespeare's characters scattered around and apparently, there's one of Shakespeare himself right in the center. Tradition has it that if two people go through the maze from different entrances and meet in the middle at his statue, then they're meant to be together," Jasper elaborated.

Disbelief sweep over me. "You guys tried doing that, didn't you? And you guys actually-"

"-met in the middle. Yes, we did," he finished. "I'm taking her back to that maze to try it again and when we meet in the middle, I'll ask her to marry me."

"You mean _if_ you meet in the middle," Emmett corrected.

"What if you guys don't?" I asked.

"My plan will be seriously fucked. But I'll still propose...it'll just be way less effective."

I had to admit, I admired Jasper. This plan was a huge risk, but he was willing to take it because he was confident of his love for Alice.

It made me wish I was confident of how I felt about Bella.

* * *

Jasper opted for a modest and subtle restaurant, so Alice wouldn't be suspicious of anything special. He invited the rest of our friends to join them. In order to keep his proposal secretive, only Emmett and I knew it was happening tonight. Bella and Rosalie thought it was just another normal dinner.

A waitress came up to our table to take our orders. Everyone else placed their orders and then it was Bella's turn.

"What would you like to eat, love?" I asked Bella.

Her eyes scanned the menu as she bit her bottom lip in concentration. This was a quirk of hers that I thoroughly enjoyed.

"I think I'm gonna go with the house special garden salad and raspberry vinaigrette."

The waitress quickly jotted that down and hurried off.

"I didn't know you were a salad girl," I said.

I quickly learned that was the wrong thing to say.

"You know, I hate it when guys are like _oh you're not one of those girls that's orders a salad for dinner, are you?_ Like screw you, maybe I am! Maybe I just fucking love salads! Have you even tasted raspberry vinaigrette?" She ranted.

Everyone turned to stare at her and I couldn't hold back my chuckle. Bella was too adorable. Too precious for her own good. And whenever she was annoyed, she reminded me of an angry little kitten.

"I wasn't going to criticize your choice of meal. I was just gonna tell you what a good decision you made. And also raspberry vinaigrette is my favorite."

Our friends howled with laughter and a blushing Bella slid back lower into her seat.

"Sorry for off on you like that."

I grabbed her hand reassuringly. "You had issues with previous boyfriends, I know."

The rest of the dinner went like this: one of us making a joke and the rest laughing uncontrollably, a lot of PDA, Jasper growing increasingly nervous around Alice, and my infatuation with Bella only getting stronger.

She made me feel more like myself than I ever had before. I found it hard to take my eyes off her and now I finally understood what the saying "butterflies in your stomach" felt like.

And to be perfectly honest, I felt like I was in love.

As a matter of fact, I've felt like this a lot with Bella. The first time was the night I had to take her drunken self home. But after that, the feeling only grew grew. Usually, I would push those feelings away and deny them, but tonight...I just couldn't fight it and it terrified the shit out of me.

All of my life, I've worked hard on the road to success because I knew what I wanted and what my goals were. I was always _sure_ of myself. But right now, I felt uncertain and vulnerable. Bella was too important to me and I couldn't mess this up.

Our relationship wasn't a blueprint; I couldn't just toss it and start from scratch. No, being with Bella meant I had to be cautious of every move I made.

Suddenly Jasper stands up, and gives Emmett and me a knowing look.

It was time.

"We're off," he said, meaning him and Alice and no one else.

"We are?" she asked, looking surprised. "But we haven't had dessert yet."

He smiled down at her. "I'm taking you somewhere special for dessert.

Alice looked satisfied enough. "Okay. I guess I'll see all of you guys later!"

_You'll be seeing us sooner than you think._

Once they left the restaurant, Emmett flagged down our waitress and asked for the ticket.

"We're leaving already?" Rosalie asked with disappointment. This was one of those rare nights when they went out without the baby.

Emmett grinned. "Something much cooler is gonna happen."

I stood up and helped Bella to her feet. "Come on, we have to hurry."

She looked at me, searching for some answers. I kissed her head and said excitedly, "You'll see."

* * *

I drove all of us quickly to the museum and saw Jasper's car in the parking lot. They probably entered the maze by now.

"Everyone, we're gonna have to start running if we wanna make it in time," I hollered out.

Emmett led us to the back of the museum where we easily found the maze and multiple entrances. Emmett and I didn't plan out how we were gonna get to the middle, so I just hoped fate will take us the right way.

"Edward, why are we here again? And why are we rushing?" Bella asked, struggling to keep up.

I was too busy concentrating on the path to reply.

She looked at Rosalie. "Do _you_ know what's going on?"

Rosalie shook her head, but broke into a fit of giggles. "I'm _dying_ to know though!"

Emmett and I ran forward in a frenzy, hoping to catch Jasper and Alice before he popped the question. After a few minutes, I heard a yell and turned around to find only Emmett and Rosalie.

Bella was missing.

Oh no. Oh no. Oh fucking no.

"Bella! Where are you?!" I called out.

"Edward, I'm fine! I just fell...but I think I've lost you!" Her reply was a few feet away, but she was nowhere to be seen.

I turned to Rosalie and Emmett. "You guys go on ahead; we'll meet you in the middle."

"Bro, are you sure? This maze is like Satan's doing. It's impossible to figure out!" Emmett said.

"I'll be fine. I just have to find Bella first. We'll meet you there!"

He nodded and grabbed Rosalie's hand as they ran ahead. I turned back down the path and took a different way to find Bella.

I called out for her and she replied, so she wasn't far, but no matter where I went, I couldn't find her.

"Dammit! Bella, you have to meet me in the middle of the maze okay? There's a statue of William Shakespeare and that's where I'll be!"

"Okay Edward..." Her voice was filled with uncertainty, but I was more doubtful than she was.

She didn't know the story behind the maze and I was scared that we might not meet in the middle. Not because we were both lost, but I was scared that she might not be the one for me.

Even though I didn't believe in silly superstitions, I wanted to know if she was my soul mate. If we were meant to be.

And goddamn, I really hope we were.

After many twists and turns, there was still no sign of Bella or the center, only endless green hedges. Exhausted and nearly hopeless, I turned a right corner and abruptly entered a wide clearing.

Across this clearing, I could see other entrances scattered about. I walked slowly and stood facing the statue of a smiling Shakespeare, holding in a pen in one hand.

I couldn't believe it. I actually made it to the center, but no one else was here yet.

I sat down a bench and waited, reflecting on the emotional mess I had become.

The only thing I was certain of is that I wanted to be with Bella and I wanted her to be happy. Her happiness came before my own. I would do anything for her if she asked me to.

Then it was as if Cupid's arrow hit me. Well, actually it was as if I realized Cupid's arrow had been in my ass all this time.

I've been _in love_ with Bella for the longest time now.

Love was wanting the best for someone, to wish the good of another person. I've felt that way towards Bella since the first day that we met. Right at this museum. I had to be by her side always, to watch for her and make sure that she knew that I love her.

I was in love with Isabella Swan.

I had to tell her. Immediately.

"Edward?" I whipped around to see my sweet Bella walking towards me.

She had found the center. She had found _me_.

I sprinted towards her and grabbed her little body in my arms, lifting her off the ground. Holding onto her tightly, I kissed her wherever my lips could touch.

"Bella, I'm so happy to see you."

"I'm happy to see you too, Edward! But it's only been a few minutes."

I shook my head. "You don't understand. There's so much I need to tell you."

She peered at me intensely. "Well what is it?"

"Bella, I've been a fool all this time, confused with what I want. But now, I've realized. I've realized that-"

"Yooooo love birds! Let go of each other and hide. Alice and Jasper should be here any minute now!" Emmett interrupted and suddenly, I wasn't feeling loving; I wanted to kill him for barging in on this moment.

But I had to admit he was right. Jasper was going to propose soon and I couldn't steal his spotlight.

The four of us quickly squatted down behind another bench, located on the far side of the clearing. This allowed us to see anyone without them seeing us.

And then it happened.

Jasper came sauntering into the clearing first. He was wringing his hands and nervously paced back and forth, waiting for Alice. A minute later, on the opposite side, we spot Alice prancing in, oblivious to what was going to happen. She ran over to Jasper and jumped into his arms, but then he pulled back too soon for her liking.

"Wait for it," Emmett said.

Rosalie gasped, finally understanding. "No way!"

"Yes way!" he replied.

Bella still looked puzzled until Jasper pulled a small box of out of his pocket and got down on one knee.

Alice's petite body lit up with love and surprise and happiness as she yells out a "Yes!"

He stands back up. They hug. They kiss. Long, hard, and deeply.

We all stand up from our hiding spot and clap and cheer and whistle for them.

Jasper waved at us with the biggest smile on his face, as if he knew we were hiding here all along.

Emmett and Rosalie are hugging each other and they're jumping up and down.

Then Emmett slapped me on the back and said, "At first, I really hated his proposal plan. But now I see how awesome it is! I think I might cry."

I chuckled and pulled Bella closer to me. Something shiny was glistening on her cheek and I noticed that she was crying.

Worried, I asked her, "Are you okay, Bella?"

"I'm just..._so happy_ for her. Alice is practically my sister and now that she's happy, I'm glad for her. She has someone who loves her unconditionally."

At those words, my heart ached.

_Bella, I love you unconditionally._ I wanted to tell her that, but now wasn't the right time.

"You must really love her, huh?" I whispered.

"I want the best for her, so yes, I do. That's what love is."

My head was spinning. She was echoing my earlier thoughts. She would understand exactly why I was madly in love with her.

* * *

All of us found our way out of that crazy maze together and after a very long interrogation between everyone, we went our separate ways.

However, I asked Bella to go through the museum again with me.

"I want to take a walk down memory lane," I told her and winked. Blushing at my remark, she nodded and placed her hand in mine.

"Do you remember the art piece you were looking at when I approached you?" I asked.

"Actually, yes I do. "The Kiss" by Auguste Rodin. How ironic, huh?"

By now, we were standing in front of it. It looked the same as always, but now, there was much more meaning behind it.

"And do you remember what pick up line I said?"

Bella scrunched her nose up. "Ummm...something about me being a masterpiece."

I rolled my eyes. "That pick up line was genius and you can't even remember?"

"If it was so genius, then hit me with another one," she teased.

I smirked and leaned down to whisper into her ear huskily. "Are you a piece of art because I'd like to nail you up against the wall."

Her breathing hitched and her face turned red. I stood back up, satisfied with her reaction.

Arching an eyebrow, I said, "Well? Not too bad?"

"You're too sexy for your own good," she groaned.

"But you loooooove it!"

"Unfortunately, I do," she deadpanned.

An idea instantly struck me. Just like she did to me so many weeks before, I abruptly grabbed the front of her shirt and kissed her deeply. This time, neither one of us hesitated. We held onto each other tightly as our tongues mingled with each other's. I could never get tired of her sweet taste.

It was difficult to even fathom that once, we had kissed right here as strangers and now, Bella meant the world to me.

I pulled away and held her face gently, so she had to look at me.

"Bella..." I said softly. "I can't fight my feelings anymore. I need to tell you that I-"

But once again, someone interrupted my confession.

"Why Edward Cullen, is that you?"

We both turned to face an unwanted person from my past.

* * *

**Have some virtual hugs for reading this chapter! Hope you guys liked it and please review.**

**-Alexis**


	10. Chapter 10

**BPOV**

I immediately jumped out of Edward's embrace. His unfinished sentence was left hanging in the awkward and tense silence that followed. Edward was maliciously glaring at the intruder.

I was also about to give our unwanted guest a death glare for interrupting the moment until I turned to see him.

It was an older man-probably in his forties-who looked like he had enough money to buy multiple countries or hell, even be actual motherfucking royalty. He had surprisingly long and sleek jet-black hair that contrasted nicely with his full-on white suit. Huge shiny rings adorned his hands and his right hand was clutched onto an impressive diamond bedazzled cane.

By his elegant and strong stance, I knew the cane was just an obnoxious accessory.

As I observed this man closely, I noticed that there wasn't even one speck of dirt or a single hair astray. Everything about him was perfectly white, crisp, and tidy down to his shoes.

I felt small and insignificant in comparison.

"At a loss for words, Edward?" His voice was light and almost papery, but there was a dangerous undertone.

"I've made it clear that I never want to see your jackass face again," Edward snarled.

The man laughed lightly. "Ah, can't we be mature about this? Why don't you act like a grown man for once instead of a little boy playing in daddy's chair?"

_"Leave Carlisle out of this."_

I started to back away and as if on cue, the man suddenly snapped his beady eyes to me. He leaned onto his cane, scrutinizing me, as if he had just noticed my presence.

"Well, who is this peculiar young lady?"

Before I could reply, Edward protectively placed his arm in front of me and pulled me behind his back. Normally I would object and defend myself instead, but this situation was on a whole different level. One I couldn't understand.

However, I didn't want to look like an inarticulate fool, so I said, "Isabella Swan, sir."

Recognition flicked in his eyes. "That's what I thought. Carlisle did mention there was a new girl around. And by the shock on your face, it seemed that he had never mentioned me. Aro Volturi, at your service."

He mockingly bowed.

_Volturi...why does that name sound familiar to me?_ Oh shit. Volturi as in the biggest company in the world. Probably universe too.

Their industries included mainly included oil and gas, with retail as a side thing. And standing in front of us was the boss of it all.

I could tell this wasn't the first time Edward met Aro, which made me wonder just how notorious and distinguished the Cullen family was.

"Honestly," Edward began, "I don't know why Carlisle still bothers with you."

"Business. Perhaps you Cullen boys could learn a thing or two about it," Aro said calmly.

Edward, on the other hand, was red and fuming with anger. It was rare for him to get so furious and I knew we had to get out of here before he did something violent.

I was also starting to hate this stuck up prick. Talk about your typical rich guy.

Finally, Edward just grabbed my hand and said to Aro, "You aren't worth my time."

We walked a few steps until he called after us. "I didn't realize you were _this _protective of your new little play thing."

I winced at the comment and wanted to keep walking, but that stopped Edward dead in his tracks. "_Excuse me_?"

"Don't listen to him, Edward." I lightly tugged on his sleeve, but he wouldn't budge.

Aro smiled wickedly, satisfied that he finally got under Edward's skin. I couldn't believe this guy; he was basically the devil incarnate.

"Surely you aren't serious about Isabella. I've known you for quite some time now Edward, and I know you don't settle for less."

At those words, my heart dropped and I looked at Edward, confused and upset.

"Don't you dare, Aro," he warned.

"You haven't told her yet? Clearly, she's not that important to you then." Then Aro approached me and leaned down. "Edward has an impressive list of women he's been with, Miss Swan. Women that actually help him advance to the top of the social ladder." He flashed me a grin. "My own daughter, included."

Subconsciously, I let go of Edward's hand. I knew he had other women before me, just like I've had other men before him, but I never asked him about his past relationships because it wasn't my business to know and honestly, I didn't _care_ to know.

After Mike cheated on me, I started to become more confident in myself and I learned to love and respect myself more. I didn't need men to make me feel wanted. So when I started dating Edward, it never bothered me how different we were in social standing. I knew I was good enough for him and he was good enough for me.

But now, standing in front of Aro, a seed of doubt was planted into my mind.

_Yup, I was starting to feel extremely jealous._

Aro was trying to create a divide between Edward and I, and it was completely working. Hearing him say those words felt like a bullet through my heart. Hell, it felt more like an AK-47 through my whole fucking body.

I didn't care anymore that Aro was being an absolute asshole. It didn't change that fact that he was right about Edward. I knew he was right.

"Don't listen to him, baby," Edward pleaded. "He's exaggerating."

_Exaggerating...but not lying._

I felt tears threatening to fall at the corner of my eyes and it was so humiliating. I was shocked at how much this actually hurt. Stupid girl, how could I let my defenses down? How could I believe that I was the most important woman in Edward's life? He was a millionaire CEO and I was just an average girl with a shitty sad past.

Of course he's been with women much better than me. The idea had never bothered me until now.

Lost in thought, I had missed the argument between Edward and Aro.

"What your daughter and I had was _nothing._ I had no feelings for her; she was always pining after me."

"You know, I don't believe that. I think that deep down, you wanted her just as much," Aro said.

Edward barked out a harsh laugh. "Don't act like you know me. Using your daughter to get into my father's company is just low."

Until this point, I never realized how much dirty work and trickery was involved in business. At least, in my experience with the Cullens. Carlisle had always been a good man, honest with his work.

My jealously at Edward's past relationships slowly subsided as I saw how full of shit Aro was. He was a man that caused trouble and distress everywhere he went. It was like he lived to ruin peoples' happiness.

Yes, my jealously and anger almost vanished until Aro said, "Speaking of which, my beautiful daughter is walking towards us right now."

One look at his daughter was enough to reawaken the green envious monster inside me. And it was stronger than ever.

Strutting towards us like a model on the runway was the most gorgeous woman I had ever laid eyes on. Gorgeous as in I would go lesbian for her if she wasn't lusting after my Edward.

The museum's chandelier lights emphasized the strawberry tint in her long blonde curls. She wore an almost floor-length red dress that was strapless and wore long gloves to match. She towered over me in a pair of silver stilettos. Unlike her father, she had minimum amount of jewelry, but somehow, that only made her look more angelic and classy.

My jaw hit the floor, but I couldn't stop staring. There was not a single flaw about her. Her body was literally perfect.

Dare I say...she was probably more beautiful than Rosalie. And it was hard to top Rosalie. But here in front of me, was basically Aphrodite herself.

That meant Edward had to be her Adonis.

"Miss Swan, this is my daughter Tanya. Tanya, this is Isabella and of course you know Edward," Aro introduced.

Much to my disdain, she immediately hugged him. "What a pleasant surprise, Edward!"

Her voice was cheerful and silvery. My anger flared up even more. That bitch. How dare she be so damn flawless.

He lifted his hands up in a quick hug and dropped them, but she still hung onto him. Edward still looked annoyed, but not as much as he was with Aro. Apparently, she was more tolerable than her father.

"It's been a quite a while, hasn't it? A lot has changed during that time," he hinted, nodding at me.

She didn't noticed, but she perked up. "Oh really? Like your feelings for me, perhaps? Have you rethought my last offer?"

_WHAT FUCKING OFFER?!_

Aro smirked. "Well, the rest of the exhibit still needs to be looked at. Enjoy your _happy_ reunion."

I glared at him as he walked off. Now that he was gone, we had to deal with his ridiculously annoying hot daughter.

Edward subtly pried her arms off him. "Sorry, but I don't recall any offer."

But I knew him and I knew he was lying.

"Are you sure? It was an offer no smart man can resist," she insisted.

"Well then, I'm not a smart man."

She giggled as if she couldn't feel the tension around us.

"That's a shame. I've always considered you a _very close_ friend."

"I don't consider you at all," he replied harshly. _Ha! Take that you blonde bimbo!_

Much to my surprise, she shook it off. "You haven't changed at all, dear Edward. I like a strong resolved man."

At this point, I couldn't understand why he hadn't mentioned me yet and that was starting to irritate me too. Was I really that embarrassing and lowly that they were both ignoring me? But like the impulsive fool I was, I jumped into the conversation.

"Uh excuse me? Yeah hi there. I'm Bella, the girlfriend of the man you're hitting on right now. Could you like back the fuck off? Please?"

_Nice Bella. Real smooth._

But it worked. Tanya did back off.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize he was dating again! I just thought you were his personal assistant or something," she apologized, surprising me yet again. I would've called bullshit on anyone else who said this, but I think she was being sincere.

For someone as high class as Tanya, it was easy to understand how I could be seen as some random helper. People like myself don't usually get involved with people like Edward.

"Um..." What should I say? _Thanks for not hopping on my boyfriend's dick?_

Tanya's perfectly manicured hands grabbed mine. "Really, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean for you to hear any of that."

Stunned at this sudden change of character, I said, "Uh...it's okay. It wasn't that big of a deal." Actually, it was.

"Good! No hard feelings then."

_Dammit..._she was actually kinda nice.

She turned her attention to Edward. "You should've mentioned that you had a girlfriend!"

"Yeah, he should've," I mumbled.

Edward looked extremely guilty. "Yeah. Sorry."

"Well," Tanya said, "Best of luck to you both! But if you're ever back on the market Edward, you know where to find me." She winked.

She shouted out, "You're a lucky girl, Bella!" before leaving.

The tension that she caused, however, still remained between Edward and I.

There was so much to say, but neither of us didn't knew how to begin. So I angrily marched away from him.

He grabbed my arm. "Bella, wait! We need to talk."

I whipped around. "I think I've heard enough talking today."

"Please let me explain," he begged. His green eyes lost all signs of harshness.

"That's what Mike said before we broke up."

Pain and hurt struck across his face, and I immediately regretted saying that.

"Bella. _Please._ You deserve at least an explanation then."

"Fine. But not here. I don't wanna cause a scene."

Because I can get really hot tempered.

* * *

During the silent car ride, I told myself repeatedly not to be a total bitch about the situation. But the second we entered his house, I turned into crazy angry girlfriend mode.

"Care to explain all the women you're fucking behind my back?"

_Okay, definitely not a good way to approach this..._but the jealous monster inside me just didn't care anymore.

Edward took a deep breath, as if preparing himself for this fight.

"First of all, I just need you to _calm down, _Bella. I can explain."

Those familiar cliche words struck me like lighting.

"I'm not gonna calm down! I've been calm the whole evening in front of Aro and Tanya! I have a goddamn right to be pissed off!"

"Ugh, yes I know. But they were embellishing everything! Tanya and I don't have a thing!"

I rolled my eyes. "Then why was she all over you?"

"Her father wants her to get closer to me. He thinks our companies will merge and be the most powerful in the business world," Edward said.

"Sounds a lot like an arranged marriage back in the medieval days," I said bitterly.

"_Except_ I've never allowed it to go anywhere. Aro's company is too corrupt and I'm honestly not interested in Tanya. Believe me."

I really wanted to believe him, but...

"Well, why aren't you? Tanya's fucking gorgeous! She has shiny blonde hair and big breasts and long legs and a perfect face. She is literally an angel on Earth!"

Edward laughed and that made me even more furious.

"You're so absurd. She's not my type, although she sounds like she's yours," he teased.

"Not funny. Seeing her made me want to crawl under a rock and hide forever. She's the whole package deal! And she'll offer you so much more," I admitted sadly.

Now Edward wasn't smiling anymore.

"What do you mean 'offer me so much more'?" He fumed.

"What Aro said back that. He was right. Women like Tanya will help you advance and get farther in life."

His jaw clenched. "You think I actually _care_ about any of that crap? Wealth, power, fame?"

"Why wouldn't you? People like you always do!"

"After all this time you've known me and my family, you think we're like the Volturi?"

"All I know is that sketchy things happen in the real world of business and I don't like how you are caught up right in the middle of it! And this is something you've never mentioned to me before! Am I really not that important enough to know?" I fumed.

Edward sat down and ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. "Ugh! Why can't you just understand?!"

"Understand what?!" I screamed.

"That I want to keep the business side of my life away from you! You're right. It's a mess; it's horrible, complicated, sketchy, and downright wrong. There are so many secrets behind closed doors...and...and you're just so pure! You're a literal ray of sunshine and I can't let you be tainted."

I swear I could hear my heart pounding in my chest.

The idiot had a point. I really shouldn't get involved in this.

But I _wanted_ to. Why?

Because he was involved in it. It's a part of his life and who he is. Whatever he experienced, whether it be good or bad, I wanted to experience it too.

And now I finally realized I'd follow Edward anywhere he went. I would never leave his side.

I was in love with him.

_Fuck._

I started to feel vulnerable after this epiphany. After months of keeping my feelings in check and not letting my guard down, I didn't like the way Edward now had control of my heart.

_Stay cool, Bella. Push those feelings back._ _Don't let yourself get hurt._

Too late. Tears quickly formed in my eyes and I turned my back to him before he had the chance to see them fall. I tried to hold back the chokes in my throat.

But of course, Edward was always observant of my emotions. He stood up abruptly and spun me around to look at him.

He held my face in his hands gently, peering at me. His expression was pained.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to make you cry."

Out of habit, I channeled my love into anger as a defense.

"How could you be so stupid?! I've handled a lot of shit in my life, so what makes you think I can't handle the Volturi? Am I not powerful and rich enough?"

"You've got it all wrong. It's not that I don't think you can't handle yourself, but it's that you shouldn't have to! You shouldn't get yourself mixed in with this...you should be living a normal life!"

"What if I don't want to? You don't make decisions for me. _I do._"

Edward laughed humorlessly, his eyes closed. "Trust me, Bella, I know."

"Then why? Why couldn't you let me everything? Why did you shield me away from Aro and Tanya? Why didn't you introduce me as your girlfriend to them? That really hurt," I said.

He stepped back, trying to compose himself. "Because I wanted to protect you. I didn't want them to know your name or who you are or your affiliation with me. Anonymity was your best bet."

"My heart broke a little back there," I admitted quietly. "You wouldn't like it if I tried to keep our relationship a secret. It seemed more like you were embarrassed of me than trying to protect me."

For the first time, I saw a tear roll down his cheek.

After a moment, he spoke, his voice loud and firm.

"You're right. You didn't deserve that."

"Honestly Edward, I don't even know how you feel about me. I don't even get why you chose to be with me instead of Tanya. She could give you the whole world and more. I have nothing! Tell me, why are you even here? I was just random crazy girl who kissed you by chance so I wouldn't look bad in front of my ex."

Edward's eyes held onto mine, and I could see fury creeping back in.

"How can you think so low of yourself? Bella, stop making social status a part of it!"

"Because IT IS a part of it! You can't ignore these differences between us. Everywhere we go, people stare and whisper because they know something's not right. People like _me_ don't belong with people like _you._"

His hands suddenly gripped my shoulders firmly.

"_Why do you care about what people say?_" He hissed. "This never bothered you before tonight!"

"It was Aro! He was right. He was right about everything."

"Bella, he's a manipulative bastard! He is the last person you should ever listen to."

"Look, I don't want to hurt your public image, okay?! I don't want your family company to go down in flames because you're hanging around some low-class chick who can't help you advance anywhere!" I shouted, fists clenched tightly.

"Dammit woman, how many times do I have to say that I don't care about that bullshit?"

"That's the thing! You should care! You used to before you met me! So why don't you now?!"

"BECAUSE I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU!"

Once those words left his mouth, my heart froze.

Silence.

He sighed.

"I'm madly, hopelessly, and truly in love with you. I've been trying to tell you all night and this is definitely not how I planned on confessing. But here goes..."

"Edward, don't..." I began.

"Just hear me out, Bella."

"I've loved you for the longest time. Possibly since the moment I first met you. But at the time, I didn't realize that...all I know is that I have cared for you since the very beginning and I want nothing, but your happiness. It took me a while to come to terms with my feelings for you because I didn't want to mess up. I know you've been hurt horribly in the past and I'm doing my best to make sure that never happens again."

Blood rushed to my face and I probably looked like a hot mess right now. And not the good kind of hot mess. Suddenly, I felt lightheaded.

I always sucked at these emotional things.

"I don't know what you mean," I whispered.

"You are the most stubborn woman-actually scratch that-you are the most stubborn _person_ I've ever met and you drive me all sorts of crazy. Before you, my life was monotonous and mechanical. It was the same old thing everyday, but then you stumbled into my heart and changed everything. Life has been one wild roller coaster after the other... And I wouldn't have it any other way. You've made me into a better man, Bella. I love you."

Edward stared at me expectantly, waiting for an reply.

Shit shit shit. What do I say?

The room felt like it was spinning. I was getting dizzy now.

Should I tell him I love him too?

Or should I take the easy route and lie? But what good would that do me? I had told myself I would never open my heart up to any man ever again...but it was too late now; I've fallen way too hard for Edward without realizing it.

I've always been good at putting walls up. But somehow, Edward kept knocking them down, over and over.

No matter how difficult and insane I was, he kept coming back to me. I thought about all the time we've spent together and how he was always by my side, even when I pushed him away. Because he really does love me.

And I loved him.

I couldn't make him wait anymore. _Come on, Bella, you know what you have to do._

I opened my mouth.

I took a deep breath.

And then I fainted.


End file.
